禪林寶訓 4

English (machine translation) 4

Language: English

4.1

Recompiled by the śramaṇa Jingshan of Dongwu

The venerable master Fozhi Yu said: 'That a fine horse in its swift gallop dare not run wildly is due to the restraint of the bit and bridle. That petty people in their stubborn wilfulness dare not indulge their passions is due to the control of penal laws. That the consciousness in its wandering drifts dare not grasp at objects is due to the power of mindful illumination. Alas, a practitioner without mindful illumination is like a fine horse without bit and bridle, or petty people without penal laws; by what means could one sever greed and desire or regulate false thoughts?' (Dharma Talk Given to Layman Zheng)

4.3

Fozhi said to Shui'an: 'The substance of abbothood has four aspects: first, the Way and virtue; second, speech and action; third, benevolence and righteousness; fourth, propriety and regulations. The Way, virtue, speech, and action are the root of the teaching; benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and regulations are the branches of the teaching. Without the root it cannot stand; without the branches it cannot be completed. The ancient sages, seeing that practitioners could not govern themselves, established monastic groves to settle them and instituted abbots to lead them. Thus the honour of the monastic grove is not for the sake of the abbot, nor are the abundant four requisites for the sake of the practitioners; both are entirely for the sake of the Way of the buddhas and patriarchs. Therefore, one who is skilled at being an abbot must first honour the Way and virtue and abide by speech and action; one capable of being a practitioner must first preserve benevolence and righteousness and observe propriety and regulations. Hence without practitioners an abbot cannot stand; without an abbot practitioners cannot be accomplished. The abbot and practitioners are like the body and the arms, or the head and the feet: when large and small are well-proportioned and not in conflict, they rely upon each other to function. Therefore it is said: practitioners are preserved by the monastic grove; the monastic grove is preserved by the Way and virtue. If the person who is abbot lacks the Way and virtue, one will witness the ruin of the monastic grove.' (True Records)

4.4

The venerable master Shui'an Yi said: 'The Book of Changes states, "The gentleman reflects upon calamity and takes precautions against it in advance." For this reason, the ancients reflected on the great calamity of saṃsāra and guarded against it with the Way, thereby enabling it to endure through great trials and be transmitted far. People today say that seeking the Way is broad and impractical, not as prompt and pertinent as seeking profit. Consequently, they compete in cultivating superficial vanity and squabbling over trivialities, hoping for immediate outcomes and harboring makeshift expedients. Wherever they go, none are willing to make plans for a whole year, not to mention concerns over saṃsāra! Thus practitioners become more degraded by the day, the monastic grove falls into ruin by the day, and order and discipline decline by the day, leading to deterioration and collapse that can scarcely be remedied. Alas! Can one fail to take warning?' (True Records of Shuanglin)

4.5

Shui'an said: 'Formerly when I traveled to Yunju, I saw Gao'an give an evening instruction, saying, "The supreme Way is direct and upright, not conforming to human sentiment. One must have a sincere heart and rectified thoughts, and not engage in artifice or bias. Artifice borders on deceit and flattery; bias is not balanced and upright. Neither conforms to the supreme Way." Privately I thought his words were reasonable, and so I applied myself diligently to practice them. When I met my late master Fozhi, I first experienced a vast and great awakening, and was then able not to fail the aspiration of a lifetime's itinerant practice.' (Letter to Yuetang)

4.6

Shui'an said: 'Wherever Yuetang served as abbot, he took practicing the Way as his personal duty; he never dispatched fundraising leaders and did not engage in visiting people. Each year the mouths to feed relied on what was received by the permanent property of the saṃgha and used accordingly. When monks aspired to serve as fundraisers, he mostly rejected them. Someone asked, "The Buddha forbade bhikṣus from begging for food except to sustain bodily life; why does the Master reject them and not permit it?" Yuetang said, "When our Buddha was in the world, that was fine. I fear that if it is done today, there will surely be those who covet profit, to the point of selling themselves." Reflecting on this, Yuetang guarded against small beginnings to prevent worse developments with deep, incisive clarity; his words adhering to reality are still ringing in my ears today. Viewing it from today's perspective, does it stop merely at selling oneself?' (Dharma Talk)

4.7

Shui'an said to Attendant Gentleman You Yanzhi: 'Formerly, Dayu, Ciming, Guquan, and Langye formed a group to study under Fenyang. In Hedong it was bitterly cold, and the crowd shrank back in fear; only Ciming set his mind upon the Way, diligent from dawn to dusk. Sitting at night, when he wished to sleep, he would prick himself with an awl, lamenting, "The ancients did not eat or sleep for the sake of the great matter of saṃsāra. What kind of person am I, to indulge in dissipation? In life, bringing no benefit to the times; in death, leaving no renown to posterity—this is to abandon myself!" When one day he bade farewell to return, Fenyang sighed, "Now that Chuyuan departs, my Way goes east."' (Records of Things Heard at West Lake)

4.8

Shui'an said: 'When the ancient virtuous ones served as abbots, they led by example to practice the Way, never behaving with laxity or self-indulgence. In ancient times, Fenyang often lamented, "In this semblance age, morals are degraded and practitioners difficult to transform." Ciming said, "It is very easy; the only worry is that the leader of the Dharma cannot guide them skillfully." Fenyang said, "Even when the ancients were pure and sincere, it took twenty or thirty years to achieve fruition." Ciming said, "This is not the discourse of sages; one who is skilled at reaching the Way takes only a thousand days of effort." Some thought Ciming's words extravagant and would not listen, and because the region of Fen was bitterly cold, the evening instruction was suspended. An extraordinary bhikṣu said to Fenyang, "There are six mahāsattvas in the assembly; why do you not preach the Dharma?" Within three years, there were indeed six who attained the Way. Fenyang once composed a eulogy: / "The golden staff of the foreign monk gleams with light; / He came to Fenyang to request the Dharma. / Six people have become great vessels; / He urged and requested that it be expounded."' (Records of Things Heard at West Lake and Biographies of Monks)

4.9

The venerable master Touzi Qing painted a portrait of Shui'an and requested a verse of praise, saying: 'The Chan practitioner Siqing is uniquely unyielding and matchless. Morning and evening, a single meal; his ribs never touch the mat. Entering deeply into dhyāna, he is free from incoming and outgoing breaths. His name reached the ninefold imperial palace, where he discussed Chan and evaluated virtue. The imperial countenance was greatly pleased, bestowing gold and silk upon him; he firmly declined three times. His Majesty praised and sighed: "A true man of the Way!" Vegetation blazes with brilliance, transmitting my humble form. Lighting incense, he requests praise; this is truly what is called: emerging from the indigo and being bluer than indigo.' (Found on the Portrait)

4.10

Shui'an said: 'My late master Fozhi said: Ancestor Yan of Dongshan once told Gentleman of the Longtu Pavilion Geng, "This mountain monk having Yuanwu is like a fish having water, a bird having wings." Therefore Grand Councilor Layman Ziyan wrote in praise: "Teacher and pupil harmonize together, / A rare encounter in an era. / In their division from beginning to end, / Who could ever come between them?" Layman Ziyan can truly be said to have understood words. Lately I have seen elders of various places harboring schemes to control monks, while monks rely on influence and profit to serve the elders. Host and guest trade for advantage, superiors and inferiors deceive one another; how then could the Dharma gate flourish and the monastic grove prosper?' (Letter to Run of Meishan)

4.11

Shui'an said: 'In moving people with words, the essential point is to be profound and incisive. If words are not profound and incisive, what they evoke must be shallow; who would be willing to hold them to heart? In the past, when Ancestor Baiyun saw my teacher-grandfather off to reside at Simian, he admonished him repeatedly: "The ancestral Way is declining, precarious as a stack of eggs. Do not indulge in dissipation, wasting time in vain and bringing ruin to supreme virtue. You should broaden your tolerance and measure, benefiting beings and preserving the community; uphold this great matter to repay the debt to the buddhas and patriarchs." At that time, who among the listeners was not deeply moved to tears? Yesterday, when you were summoned to audience in the imperial court, it was truly a blessing for the Dharma gate. You must humble yourself and revere the Way, taking benefit and relief as your intention. You must not boast of yourself or sing your own praises. Ancient sages of the past were modest, gentle, respectful, and cautious, preserving their persons and keeping their virtue whole; they did not consider power and status as an honour, and thus were able to shake their era with purity and let their excellence flow through myriad generations. I worry my remaining time is short and we may not meet face to face again, which is why I earnestly enjoin this upon you.' (Letter to Touzi)

4.12

In his youth, Shui'an was unconventional and had grand aspirations; he valued integrity and righteousness, not indulging in superficiality or adhering to petty constraints. His breast held steep ridges, and he devoted his person to righteousness. Even when disasters and hardships confronted him together, no look of dejection was seen on his face. He served as abbot at eight monasteries across four commanderies, and wherever he went, he was diligent and cautious, holding the practice and establishment of the Way in his heart. In the fifth year of the Chunxi era, he retired from Jingci at West Lake. He had a verse: / 'For six years sweeping clean the imperial capital's temple; / Rubble and tiles were turned into the halls of Śakra and Brahmā. / Today, work accomplished, I return; / From the head of my staff, pure breeze arises in the eight directions.' / Scholars and commoners blocked his path to detain him, but could not stop him. Taking a small boat, he reached Tianning in Xiu[zhou]. Soon after, he manifested illness, bade farewell to the community, and announced his end. (Biographical Account)

4.13

Master Yuetang Chang said: "In the past, Chan Master Dazhi, concerned that bhikṣus of the final age would become arrogant and indolent, specially instituted monastic regulations to prevent this. According to their capacity and ability, he established their respective offices: the abbot dwelled in the abbot's quarters, while the assembly dwelled in the communal hall; he set up the solemn order of the ten departmental prefects just like government offices. Those above maintained the overarching principles; those below attended to the diverse particulars. This caused superiors and subordinates to support one another, like a body employing its arms and arms employing their fingers, none failing to comply. For this reason, the predecessors observed, supported, and faithfully practiced them, because the legacy of the former sages had not yet perished. Recently, I have seen the monastic groves decline. Learners value worldly talent and despise maintaining integrity; they esteem superficial ostentation and disdain genuine simplicity. Growing day by day and steeping month by month, they have gradually descended into shallow corruption. At first, they merely snatched a momentary ease, but once they grew habituated through long familiarity, they deemed it the natural principle, not calling it unrighteous, not calling it unreasonable. Those above tremble with fear before their subordinates, while those below gaze intently, watching their superiors. In ordinary life, they use sweet words and bow their bodies to flatter and please one another; when an opportunity arises, they employ cruel hearts and deceitful schemes to butcher and trade one another away. The successful are deemed worthy, and the defeated are deemed foolish, no longer asking about the order of noble and base or the principle of right and wrong. If someone else does it, this one imitates it; if the subordinate speaks of it, the superior complies with it; if the predecessor practiced it, the successor copies it. Alas! Without an eminent sage master riding the power of vows and accumulating a hundred years of effort, these abuses are so firmly entrenched that none can reform them." (Letter to Master Shun)

4.14

Yuetang stayed at Jingci for the longest time. Someone said, "The Master has practiced the Way for years, yet we have not heard of him having disciples under his gate. Does this not let down Miaozhan?" Yuetang did not reply. Another day, the person spoke of it again. Yuetang said: "Have you not heard? In the past, there was a man who grew melons and loved them dearly. In the height of summer, right at midday, he watered them; before he could even turn on his heel, the melons rotted and failed. Why was this? His love for them was by no means unflagging, but he watered them out of season, precisely causing them to fail. When senior elders of various quarters promote patch-robed monks, they do not observe whether their practice of the Way is filled within, or whether their talents and capacities are grand and far-reaching. They only desire to make them into men quickly. When one investigates their the Way and virtue, they are licentious and defiled; when one examines their words and deeds, they are perverse; when one deems them just and upright, they turn out to be crooked and flattering. Is this not loving them beyond measure? This is just like watering melons at midday. I deeply fear the mockery of those with discernment, and therefore I do not do it." (Beishan jiwen)

4.15

Yuetang said: "When Huanglong lived at Jicui, he was confined by illness for three months without coming out. Zhenjing made earnest prayers night and day, even burning his crown and searing his arm to look up and supplicate for unseen assistance. When Huanglong heard of this, he rebuked him, saying: 'Saṃsāra is indeed my lot. Are you so unpenetrating of principle in your study of Chan as this?' Zhenjing replied calmly: 'The monastic grove can do without Kewen, but it cannot do without the Master.' Those with discernment said: 'Zhenjing's reverence for his master and esteem for the Dharma reached such sincerity. He is certain to become a great vessel in the future.'" (Beishan jiwen)

4.16

Yuetang said: "Grand Historian Huang Luzhi once said: 'Chan Master Huanglong Nan had a capacity that was deep and generous, never moved by external things. Throughout his life he had no pretense; among his disciples, there were those who never saw him in joy or anger their whole lives. Even toward servants and menials, he treated them throughout with sincerity. Thus, without altering his voice or demeanor, he could raise up the Way of Ciming. This was by no means accidental.'" (One edition appears in the stone inscription of Huanglong)

4.17

Yuetang said: "On the Shangsi festival day of the jiyou year of the Jianyan era, Zhong Xiang rebelled in Liyang. Chan Master Wenshu Dao met with disaster. When the bandits' force grew strong, his disciples fled. The master said: 'Can calamity be avoided?' and resolutely remained in the abbot's quarters. In the end, he was killed by the bandits. Layman Wugou wrote a colophon to his Dharma words, saying: 'Loving life and fearing death is the common condition of human beings. Only the ultimate person realizes the fundamentally unarisen: though living, he has nothing he clings to; understanding that it never perishes, though dying, he has nothing he fears. Therefore, when facing life and death, calamity and adversity, he does not abandon what he guards. Is not the master such a person? With the master's the Way, virtue, integrity, and righteousness, he is sufficient to transform the monastic groves and bequeath a model for later generations.' The master's name was Zhengdao, a native of Danling in Meizhou, and an heir of Fojian." (One edition appears in the records of Grand Preceptor Hui of the Yue Residence in Mount Lu)

4.18

Master Xinwen Ben said: "Among patch-robed monks, there are many who contract illness on account of Chan. Some have an illness in their ears and eyes: taking staring eyebrows, glaring eyes, cocking the ear, and nodding the head to be Chan. Some have an illness in their mouth and tongue: taking contradictory speech, preposterous talk, and reckless shouting to be Chan. Some have an illness in their hands and feet: taking stepping forward, stepping back, pointing east, and drawing west to be Chan. Some have an illness in their mind and belly: taking plumbing the abstruse, probing the wondrous, transcending feelings, and leaving views behind to be Chan. Judging by reality, none of these is not an illness. Only a genuine lineage master clearly perceives subtle signs; at a single glance, he knows whether one understands or does not understand; upon one's entering the gate, he discerns whether one has arrived or not arrived. Afterward, employing a single awl and a single slip, he strips away one's fine attachments, attacks one's entanglements, verifies one's authenticity or falsity, and determines one's emptiness or reality. Not adhering to a single expedient means and not being blind to adaptability, he ensures that one ultimately steps into the realm of peace, joy, and non-affair, and only then does he cease." (Recorded Sayings)

4.19

Xinwen said: "The ancients said: 'The talent of a thousand men is called elite; the hero among ten thousand men is called preeminent.' When a patch-robed monk has wisdom and conduct renowned in the monastic groves, is he not close to an elite and preeminent gentleman? If one can only investigate diligently, discard the empty and take up the real, and each attain their function, then regardless of whether the monastery is large or small, or the assembly numerous or few, all will follow their transformation. In the past, there was Fengxue as a commoner, Yaoshan in the ox pen, Master Chang at Damei, and Ciming in Jingchu. At that time, if drifting people had sought them by status or appearance, they would certainly have mocked them upon seeing them. Yet once they occupied the master's seat, ascended the flower throne, surrounded by ten thousand fingers, radiating the brilliant light of the buddhas and patriarchs in this decadent age, who in the monastic groves would not be swept along by their breeze? Moreover, the predecessors all possessed magnificent talent and the spirit of preeminent heroes, yet they were still able, in their days of obscurity, to endure shame, bear disgrace, and mingle with the world and float along with its waves like this; how much more so for those inferior to them! Alas, the past is just like the present; this is just like that. If one must wait for a Yaoshan or a Fengxue to take as a teacher, that is an encounter of a thousand years. If one must wait for a Damei or a Ciming to take as a friend, that is one who emerges once in a hundred generations. For affairs proceed from the subtle to the prominent, and achievements accumulate from the small to become great. I have never seen anyone achieve without studying, or advance first without cultivating. If one realizes this principle, a teacher can be sought, a friend can be chosen, the Way can be studied, and virtue can be cultivated; then what affair under heaven cannot be undertaken? The ancients said: 'Knowing others is truly difficult, a problem even for the sages.' How much more so for the rest!" (Letter to Zhu'an)

4.20

Xinwen said: "The Way of a special transmission outside the teachings is most simple and most essential; fundamentally there was no other talk. The predecessors practiced it without doubt and preserved it without change. During the Tianxi era, Xuedou, using his eloquent and erudite talent, indulging fine conceits, playing tricks, and seeking novelty and carving ingenuity, followed Fenyang in making verse commentaries on ancient cases, enticing the learners of the time. The style of the lineage underwent a change from this. By the Xuanhe and Zhenghe eras, Yuanwu again brought forth his own ideas, separating them to make the Blue Cliff Record. At that time, men of antiquity-transcending purity and perfection, such as Master Ning, Sixin, Lingyuan, and Fojian, were all unable to turn back his discourse. Thereupon, newly advanced youngsters treasured his words, chanting them morning and practicing them evening, calling them the ultimate learning, with none realizing their error. How painful! The mental methods of learners have been ruined. In the early Shaoxing era, Fori entered Min and saw learners pulled along without returning, rushing by day and galloping by month, steeped into an abuse. He immediately shattered the printing blocks and refuted his discourse, going so far as to dispel delusion, rescue the drowning, prune complexity, weed out entanglement, destroy the heterodox, and manifest the orthodox, specially rousing them. The patch-robed monks came to know a little of its error and no longer admired it. Yet had it not been for Fori's lofty brilliance, far-reaching vision, and riding the power of vows of compassion to rescue the abuses of the final age of the Dharma, the monastic groves would have had great cause for dread." (Letter to Zhang Zishao)

4.21

Master Zhuo'an Fozhao Guang first studied under Xuetang at Jianfu. A physiognomist saw him once and recognized his capacity, saying to Xuetang: 'Senior Monk Guang in the assembly has a square and upright skull, a broad forehead, full cheeks, and the seven places flat and full. In the future, he will certainly become a teacher of emperors and kings.' In the early Chunxi era of Emperor Xiaozong, he was summoned for an audience and met with royal approval; he was retained in the Inner Contemplation Hall for seven nights, receiving extraordinary treatment exceeding all before him. He was bestowed the name Fozhao, which became renowned throughout the realm." (Record of Heard Matters)

4.22

Zhuo'an said to Chancellor Yu Yinwen: "The Great Way is completely open, fundamentally devoid of foolishness and wisdom. For example, Yi Yin and Lü Shang arose from plowing and fishing to become teachers of emperors and kings; how could one gauge them by the ranks of wisdom and foolishness? Even so, if one is not a great man, who can take part in it?" (Extended Record)

4.23

Zhuo'an said: "Xuan Ye'an often said: 'Chan Master Huanglong Nan was generous, magnanimous, loyal, trustworthy, respectful, kind, and loving; his tolerance was calm and far-reaching, and his learning was broad and well-informed. He once traveled through Hunan together with Yunfeng Yue; sheltering from rain under a tree, Yue sat cross-legged with legs sprawled out opposite him, while Nan alone sat erect. Yue glared at him and said: "The wondrous Way of the buddhas and patriarchs is not the dead appearance of the earth deity in an old shrine of a three-family village!" Nan bowed his head in apology, and sat even more erect.' Therefore, Grand Historian Huang Luzhi praised him, saying: 'Master Nan in movement and stillness never forgot respectfulness; he was truly a master of the monastic grove.'" (Collection of Huan'an)

4.24

Zhuo'an said: "To lead oneself and oversee the assembly, one must use wisdom to dispel delusions. To eliminate passions, one must first be awakened. If one turns one's back on awakening and unites with dust, the mind becomes obscured; if wisdom and foolishness are not distinguished, affairs become chaotic." (Letter to Prior Zhou)

4.25

Zhuo'an said: "When Fojian lived at Taiping, Gao'an served as karmadāna. Gao'an was young in years and proud in spirit, looking down upon the various quarters, with few who met his approval. One day at mealtime when the mallet was struck, he saw an attendant place food in a different bowl before Fojian. Gao'an came out of the hall and said in a stern voice: 'A kalyāṇamitra of five hundred monks acts in such a fashion! How can you serve as a model for later students?' Fojian acted as though he had neither heard nor seen. When he came down from the hall and investigated, it was pickled vegetables in water. Because Fojian had long had a spleen ailment and did not eat oil, Gao'an felt ashamed, went to the abbot's quarters, and tendered his resignation. Fojian said: 'What the karmadāna said was very appropriate. It is only because Huiqin is ill that it is so. I have heard the sages say that through principle one penetrates all obstacles. Since what I ate was not superior to the assembly, I had no doubts about it. The karmadāna's aspiration is clear and far-reaching; in the future you will certainly be a pillar of the lineage gate. Pray do not hold any grievance over this.' When Fojian moved to Zhihai, Gao'an went over to Longmen; later he became an heir of Foyan."

4.26

Zhuo'an said: "Generally, when discussing the Way and interacting with officials, one must cut away intellectual understanding and not let them sit in a rut. One must directly clarify solely the matter of the supreme. My late master Miaoxi once said: 'When meeting with scholar-officials, reply if asked; if not asked, one must not. Furthermore, one must be an insider before these words can be of benefit to the times and not harm the substance of an abbot.' You must earnestly consider this." (Letter to Pu'an of Xinghua)

4.27

Zhuo'an said: "Land that is fine is good at nourishing things; a master who is benevolent is good at nourishing scholars. Nowadays, those called abbots mostly do not take the multitude to heart. Anxious for their own desires, they detest hearing good words, like to conceal faults and evils, and indulge in depraved conduct. Merely pleasing their minds for a moment, they in turn allow petty men to take advantage of them by exploiting their likes and dislikes. How, then, can the way of the abbot not be imperiled?" (Letter to Elder Hong)

4.28

Zhuo'an said to Ye'an: "Chancellor Layman Ziyan said: 'My late master Miaoxi in his lifetime gave precedence to the Way, virtue, integrity, righteousness, and courage. He could be approached with affection but not estranged; he could be drawn close to but not coerced; he could be killed but not disgraced. His dwelling was not decadent, and his food and drink were not lavish. Facing saṃsāra and calamity, he regarded them as nothing. He was precisely what is called a Gan Jiang or Mo Ye blade, hard to contend with; one only feared it might be nicked.' Later things were just as Ziyan had said." (Record of Heard Matters of Huan'an)

4.29

Zhuo'an said, "When Ye'an was abbot, he understood the beginnings and ends of human sentiments and was clear about the overall structure of the monastic grove. He once told me, 'One who acts as the master of a place must select patch-robed monks of resolute conduct to assist him, just as hair has a comb and the face has a mirror; then benefits and defects, beauty and ugliness, cannot be concealed. It is like Ciming obtaining Yangqi, or Mazu obtaining Baizhang—throwing water into water, nothing opposes it.'" (Collection of Huan'an)

4.30

Zhuo'an said, "Shallow students of later times only value their ears and devalue their eyes, ultimately never able to fathom the mysteries. Therefore it is said: 'The mountain does not weary of height, within it are layered cliffs and accumulated azure; the sea does not weary of depth, within it are the four oceans and nine abysses.' If you wish to fathom the Great Way, the essential point lies in exhausting its heights and depths. Only then can you illuminate the dark and subtle and respond to transformations without end." (Letter to Elder Jin)

4.31

Zhuo'an said to Vice Minister You, "The intent of the sages and worthies is reserved and gentle, yet the principle is bright; it is leisurely and untroubled, yet affairs are manifest. In the affairs they employ, they do not expect rapid completion, but allow for lasting endurance; they do not require inevitable advance, but allow for proximate success. Applying this to infer the intent of the sages and worthies, they were thus able to span ten thousand generations and maintain it without fault; it is just like this." (Collection of Huan'an)

4.32

Vice Minister Lord You said, "Before the ancestral masters, there was no such thing as being an abbot. Later, in response to the world and to practice the Way, it became unavoidable. Yet when dwelling, woven reeds merely kept out wind and rain; when eating, coarse grain merely satisfied hunger. In toil and emaciation, there were worries that seemed unbearable, yet princes, dukes, and great men even wished to see them and could not. Therefore, what they established was all eminent and outstanding, shaking heaven and moving earth. Later generations are not like this: high halls and vast mansions, fine clothes and bountiful food, commanding everything at a nod; thereupon the minions of Pāpīmān begin to be stirred in their hearts with high spirits, hesitating at the gates of power, wagging their tails and begging for pity, and at worst, taking by cunning and snatching by force, like snatching gold in broad daylight, no longer knowing that in this world there is cause and effect. How could this book of Miaoxi's be set forth only for Boshan? It points out all the vāsanās of the various quarters from the past without leaving behind a single hair, like drinking the water of Lord Cang's upper pond to clearly see through the internal organs. If one can faithfully receive and uphold it, what need is there to seek the Buddha Dharma elsewhere?" (Seen in the Lingyin Stone Inscription)

4.33

Vice Minister Lord You said to Zhuo'an, "In the past, Miaoxi revived the way of Linji in an autumn of withering decline, yet his nature still valued modesty and humility, and he never galloped off into speculative views. Throughout his life he did not hasten toward power and influence, nor did he carelessly seek profit and support. He once said: 'The myriad affairs must not be conducted with indolent pleasure, nor maintained with an attitude of extravagance. For what is advantageous to the moment and convenient for material things may bring faults without any merit; if one indulges in extravagance and indolence, nothing will succeed.' Unworthy as I am, I take these words to heart and make them my lifelong admonition. Yesterday, Venerable Teacher, you met the Sovereign, who had you lodge overnight at the Guantang; this is truly the fortune of the Buddha Dharma. I earnestly hope that with untiring vows of compassion, you will open and brighten the path of advancing the good, and make the way of taking charge of the assembly even greater, so that perhaps the younger generations will not scheme for near-term habits, but each harbor far-reaching plans. Would this not bring benefit and salvation to the monastic grove?" (Recorded Hear-say of Attendant Ran)

4.34

Venerable Mi'an Jie said, "The flourishing and decline of the monastic grove lies in etiquette and rules; the beauty and ugliness of students lies in customary habits. If the ancients' dwelling in nests and caves, drinking from ravines, and eating from trees were practiced in present times, it would not do. If the present people's bountiful clothes and fine patterns, eating fine grain, and chewing fat were practiced in ancient times, it also would not do. How could there be any other reason? It is because of what is habitual and unhabitual. Now, what a person sees morning and evening is considered normal; they will certainly say that the affairs of the world ought to be just like this. If one day they are driven toward that and away from this, not only will they give rise to doubt and lack faith, but I fear they also will not comply. Viewed from this, human sentiments are at ease with what they are accustomed to and alarmed by what they have not seen; this is their common sentiment, so why should it be wondered at?" (Letter to Policy Reviewer Shi)

4.35

Mi'an said to Head Monk Wu, "In the monastic grove, only the people of Zhejiang are frivolous and weak, seldom standing firm. Your talents and capacity are vast and great, your forbearance is deep and accommodating, your aspirations and aims are upright and precise, and moreover your insight is steady and close. Your future cannot be easily foretold. Just conceal your light and do not display sharp corners; round your corners and harmonize like broken tiles, maintaining the middle way; do not bend yourself in the slightest for power and profit. This itself is to perform the Buddha's work without leaving the defilements of the world." (Letter to Xiao'an)

4.36

Mi'an said, "My late teacher Ying'an once said: 'The worthy and the unworthy are opposites; one cannot but choose between them. The worthy uphold the Way, virtue, benevolence, and righteousness to establish themselves; the unworthy specialize in power, profit, deceit, and flattery to handle affairs. When the worthy attain their ambition, they will certainly practice what they have studied; when the unworthy occupy a position, they mostly indulge their selfish hearts, envying the worthy and being jealous of ability, indulging desires and craving wealth, shrinking from nothing. Therefore, when the worthy are obtained, the monastic grove flourishes; when the unworthy are employed, it falls into ruin. If there is one of these present, there certainly cannot be peace and quiet.'" (Seen in the letter to Venerable Yue)

4.37

Mi'an said, "For an abbot there are three 'do-nots': when affairs are manifold, do not be afraid; when there are no affairs, do not seek them; do not distinguish right and wrong. When an abbot understands these three things, he will not be deluded by external objects." (Recorded Hear-say of Attendant Hui)

4.38

Mi'an said, "As for the conduct of patch-robed monks, those who are devious and have long had traces of unwholesomeness are mutually known to the monastic grove; these are not worth being detested. It is only those whom the assembly calls worthy, but who inside are truly unworthy, that can truly be detested." (Letter to Puci)

4.39

Mi'an said to Shui'an, "When someone defames and insults you, you should accept it compliantly; how could you lightly listen to their utterances and rashly display your limited view? In general, flattering people have their ways, and devious craftiness has many means; those harboring treacherous bias love to indulge their selfish hearts, and those who give rise to suspicion and jealousy arbitrarily discard public opinion. For this sort of people, their pursuits are narrow and cramped, and what they see is dark and short-sighted; they naturally take standing apart from others as being extraordinary, and take obstructing deliberations as being outstanding. Yet, since you know that what you employ is right in the end, and the defamation is naturally theirs, in time it will clarify itself and needs no separate explanation; nor is it necessary to insist on your own correctness and attack others. Then one can almost be a person of the monastic groves." (Letter to Shui'an)

4.40

Venerable Zide Hui said, "In general, if a patch-robed monk is sincere and tends toward correctness, though he may be foolish, he can still be used; if he is flattering and harbors deviousness, though he may be clever, he will ultimately do harm. In general, if a person of the monastic groves has a mind that is not upright, though he may have talent and ability, he ultimately cannot stand firm." (Seen in the letter to Jiantang)

4.41

Zide said, "Chan Master Dazhi specially created the pure regulations to assist and rescue the bhikṣus of the final age from their abuses of unrighteousness. From this, former worthies complied with and respectfully upheld them; there was instruction and transformation, orderliness, and a beginning and end. At the end of the Shaoxing era, in the monastic groves there were still mature elders who could maintain the standards and models, not daring to leave them aside for an instant. In recent years, because of seeking, they have lost their ancestral thread: the main rope is not a rope, and the regulating cords are not regulating cords; even if there are regulating cords, how can they be set right? Therefore it is said: 'Lift one main rope, and the myriad meshes open; slacken one mechanism, and myriad affairs fall.' When the regulating cords are not invigorated, the monastic grove does not flourish. The ancients only embodied the root to correct the branches; they only worried that the rules and measures were not strict, not that students would lose their place. What made them correct lay in impartiality. Now the masters of the various quarters mix the private with the public, and use the branches to correct the root; those above carelessly pursue profit not through the Way, and those below plunder profit not through righteousness. Superiors and inferiors are in error and chaos, host and guest are confused. How can patch-robed monks tend toward correctness and the monastic grove flourish?" (Letter to Vice Minister You)

4.42

Zide said, "Before fine jade is cut open, it is no different from tiles and stones; before a renowned steed gallops, it is mixed among tired nags. When it is cut open and polished, and when it gallops and is tested, then jade and stone, nag and steed are distinguished. Now when the worthy virtue of a patch-robed monk is not yet employed, mixed in the crowd of people, how can it be distinguished after all? It relies on men of high discernment to recommend him through public acclaim, entrust him with official responsibilities, test him by his talent and ability, and hold him responsible for accomplishing tasks; then he will be vastly different from the mediocre sort." (Letter to Huo'an)

4.43

Venerable Huo'an Ti first studied under Ci'an Yuanbudai at Huguo in Tiantai. During a discourse in the hall, Ci'an cited Pang and Ma's verse on selecting buddhas, reaching the line, 'This is the arena for selecting buddhas.' Ci'an shouted at it; Huo'an experienced great awakening. He had a verse matching the occasion that said: / 'At the utmost point of deliberation, one sees the exam topic; / At the end of the road, one enters the testing arena. / Lifting up the brush tip, the wind and rain are swift; / This time, I will not be merely a third-ranking scholar.' / From then on he concealed his traces in Tiantai. Chancellor Lord Qian (Xiangxian) admired his character and urged him to respond to the world by offering him Tianfeng cāturdiśa. When Huo'an heard of this, he said, 'I do not know how to hang a sheep's head and sell dog meat,' and thereupon fled by night.

4.44

At the beginning of the Qiandao era, Xiatang was residing at Guoqing. When he saw Huo'an's eulogy for Yuantong's portrait, which read: / 'Not abiding by his fundamental role, he disturbs sentient beings; / Looking up and admiring him, having eyes is like being blind. / The wind and moon of Chang'an span past and present; / Which true man walks feeling along the wall?' / Xiatang was surprised and delighted, saying, 'I did not know Ci'an had such a son!' He immediately searched everywhere for him, and finally found him at Jiangxin; he firmly invited him from among the crowd to take the seat of the head monk." (Wild Records of Tiantai)

4.45

At the beginning of the Qiandao era, Huo'an lightly visited Xiatang at Huqiu. When the monastics and laypeople of Gusu heard of his lofty style, they immediately went to the commandery to recommend and invite him to reside at Juebao in the city. Huo'an heard of it and said, 'My late teacher Ci'an instructed me: "In the future, when you encounter Old Longevity, halt." Now it matches like the two halves of a tally.' He then joyfully accepted the appointment, for Juebao had formerly been named Old Longevity Hermitage." (Hear-say of Huqiu)

4.46

After Huo'an entered the monastery, a donor requested an informal sermon. He said: 'The Way is constant and does not change; affairs have abuses and must alter. In the past, the various ancestral masters of Jiangxi and Nanyue, as if examining antiquity for instruction, checked whether things were appropriate, maintained the middle way, and made efforts to accord with human minds, taking awakening as the standard; therefore their pure style was exalted and has not perished down to the present. If we speak according to the gate of patch-robed monks, to understand before words wrongs our lineage style, and to be clear under the phrase buries the buddhas and patriarchs. Although it is like this: / "I walk to where the waters end, / And sit to watch when clouds arise."' / From this, monastics and laypeople were delighted by what they had never heard, and those who turned to him gathered like a marketplace." (The recorded sayings differ from this)

4.47

After Huo'an assumed the abbacy, literati and commoners gathered and turned to him in harmony. When the patch-robed monks reported this to Huqiu, Xiatang said, 'That mountain barbarian, obstinate fellow, is putting forth blind Chan to cure that pack of wild fox spirits of yours!' Huo'an heard of this and answered with a verse, saying: / 'A mountain barbarian, obstinate fellow, is truly hateful; / Leading the assembly and directing disciples, it is as if I never have. / Transgressing standards, I hold the broomstick upside down; / With blind Chan I cure wild fox monks.' / Xiatang merely laughed." (Hear-say)

4.48

Huo'an said to Vice Minister Lord Zeng Dai, "The essential point of studying the Way is like a balance-weight determining the weight of things; it is simply to maintain its level balance. Can partial heaviness be acceptable? Pushing it forward or pulling it back, the partiality is the same. Understanding this, one can study the Way." (Seen in the letter to Lord Zeng)

4.49

Huo'an said, "The Way and virtue are the root of the monastic grove; patch-robed monks are the root of the Way and virtue. For an abbot to cast aside and dislike patch-robed monks is to forget the Way and virtue. Once the Way and virtue are forgotten, how will he cultivate instruction and transformation, regulate the monastic grove, and entice future students? The ancients embodied the root to correct the branches; they worried that the Way and virtue would not be practiced, not that the monastic grove would lose its place. Therefore it is said: 'The monastic grove is preserved by patch-robed monks; patch-robed monks are preserved by the Way and virtue.' If an abbot lacks the Way and virtue, then the monastic grove falls into ruin." (Seen in the letter to Jiantang)

4.50

Huo'an said, "Acting as a kalyāṇamitra lies in recognizing the worthy, not in considering oneself worthy. Therefore, one who harms the worthy is foolish; one who conceals the worthy is ignorant; one who is jealous of the worthy is deficient. Gaining the glory of one's own single person is not as good as gaining the fame of an entire generation; gaining the fame of an entire generation is not as good as gaining a single worthy patch-robed monk, so that later students have a teacher and the monastic grove has a master." (Letter to Yuanji)

4.51

In the third year after Hu'an moved to Jiao Shan—which was the fourth day of the eighth month of the sixth year of the Chunxi reign era—he first manifested a slight illness, then penned a personal letter and [sent it] along with an inkstone to bid farewell to the prefect and vice-minister Master Zeng Dai. At midnight he passed away. The master lamented him with a verse that said: / 'Lightly fluttering, a single shoe chases the western wind; / Not a single thing is inside the cloth bag. / What use will there be in leaving behind Tao Hong? / This old fellow has no brush with which to judge empty space.' (Account of Conduct).

4.52

Venerable Xiatang Yuan said to Hu'an: 'Human capacity naturally has its greatness and smallness; it truly cannot be taught. Therefore, that which is small in paper cannot wrap that which is large, and a short rope cannot draw water from the depths. The horned owl at night can catch fleas and discern an autumn down-hair, but when it ventures out by day, though it glares with wide eyes it cannot see a hill or mountain. This is because their allotments are fixed. Formerly, Jing Nantang transmitted the Way of Dongshan; his discerning awakening was subtle and profound, deeply penetrating, and manifestly brilliant. Yet when it came to responding to the world as an abbot, wherever he went, things failed to flourish. When my late master Yuanwu returned to Shu, he accompanied Venerable Fan to visit him at Dasui. They saw that Jing was negligent, with all the various matters falling into disuse. The late master, in the end, asked nothing about it. When they reached midway on their return journey, Fan said: "Jing is your fellow seeker and companion in the Way; why did you not speak a single word to guide and instruct him?" The late master said: "In responding to the world and presiding over a community, laws and orders must be primary. The implementation of laws and orders depends on one's wisdom and ability. Ability and inability stem from one's native allotment; how could it be taught?" Fan nodded in assent.' (Recorded Hear-says of Huqiu).

4.53

Xiatang said: 'A gentleman who studies the Way must first rectify his mind; only after that can he rectify himself and rectify others. Once his mind is rectified, the myriad things will be settled. Never has it been heard that when the mind is well-ordered the person falls into disorder. The teaching of the buddhas and patriarchs proceeds from the internal to the external, from the near to the far. When sounds and sights delude from without, this is a sickness of the four limbs; when delusive passions arise from within, this is a sickness of the heart and abdomen. Never has it been seen that one whose mind is rectified cannot bring order to things, or that one whose person is rectified cannot transform others. The one mind is the root, and the myriad things are the branches and leaves. When the root is sturdy and solid, the branches and leaves will flourish; when the root withers and languishes, the branches and leaves will snap. Those who are skilled in studying the Way first order what is within to withstand what is without; they do not covet what is without so as to harm what is within. Therefore, in guiding things the essential thing lies in purifying the mind; in rectifying others, one certainly rectifies oneself first. When the mind is rectified and the self is established, that the myriad things should not follow and be transformed has never happened.' (Letter to Vice-minister Yan).

4.54

Venerable Jiantang Ji resided at Guanshan in Poyang for barely twenty years; [living on] broth of goosefoot and meals of millet, he seemed to have completely abandoned any thought of honor and prominence. Once, going down the mountain, he heard the sound of weeping by the roadside. Jiantang, moved with compassion, went to inquire about it. In a family struck by a cold-damage plague, only two had died, but being poor they had no burial requisites. He specifically went to the market to obtain coffins on credit to bury them. The villagers were endlessly moved and sighed in admiration. Vice-minister Master Li (Chunnian) said to the scholar-officials: 'Old Ji of our district is a monk of the Way. Furthermore, his benevolence and kindness extend to living beings. How could he remain long at Guanshan?' It happened that Assistant Commissioner Wang (Mingyuan) was pacifying the various circuits and arrived at Jiujiang. The prefect Master Lin (Shuda) vacated the Dharma seat of Yuantong to welcome him. Hearing the summons, Jiantang then said: 'My Way shall now be put into practice!' He then cheerfully dragged his staff and came. Ascending the seat, he expounded the Dharma, saying: 'Yuantong does not open an herbal apothecary; / It sells exclusively the head of a dead cat. / I wonder which person without scheming thoughts / Will take a bite and have cold sweat stream over his whole body!' Monks and laymen were astounded, and through this the Dharma assembly was greatly invigorated. (Collection of Lan'an).

4.55

Jiantang said: 'In ancient times, when cultivating the person and ordering the mind, they shared the Way with others; when undertaking affairs and establishing endeavors, they shared the merit with others; when the Way was accomplished and the merit became illustrious, they shared the fame with others. Therefore, there was no Way that was not illuminated, no merit that was not accomplished, and no fame that was not glorified. People nowadays are not so: they monopolize their own Way, only fearing that others might surpass them, yet they cannot follow the good and pursue righteousness in order to broaden themselves. They monopolize their own merit, not wishing others to have it, yet they cannot employ the worthy and delegate to the capable in order to aggrandize themselves. For this reason, their Way cannot avoid being obscured, their merit cannot avoid being diminished, and their fame cannot avoid being disgraced. These three are the great distinctions between the scholars of ancient and modern times.'

4.56

Jiantang said: 'Studying the Way is like planting a tree. If you chop it down just as it begins to flourish, it can supply firewood. If you chop it down when it is about to be luxuriant, it can make rafters. If you chop it down when it has grown somewhat sturdy, it can serve as pillars and purlins. If you chop it down when it is old and mature, it can serve as main beams and ridgepoles. Does this not mean that when the accomplishment is sought from afar, the benefit is great? Therefore, as for the people of antiquity, only because their Way was solid, great, and not narrow, their aspiration was far-reaching, profound, and not shortsighted, and their words were elevated, noble, and not base—even though they were at odds with the times, exhausted by hunger and cold, and nearly perished in the hills and valleys—on account of their lingering style and remaining achievements, across hundreds and thousands of years later people still take them as their model and transmit them. If formerly they had narrowed their Way to seek compliant acceptance, shortened their aspirations to seek conformity, and debased their words to serve the powerful, their benefit would have been limited to the glory of a single person; how could their remaining beneficence have spread so broadly to later generations?' (Two Letters to Vice-minister Li).

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禪林寶訓 — Classical Chinese