釋氏稽古略 3.278

3.278

The Caodong School: Chan Master Dongshan of Ruizhou in Jiangxi was named Liangjie. He belonged to the Yu family of Kuaiji in Yuezhou. He left home in his childhood. Following his master, he recited the Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sūtra. When he reached the passage, "no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind," he suddenly touched his face with his hand and asked his master, "I have eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and so on; why does it say there are none?" His master was astonished and said, "I am not your teacher." He directed him to go to Mount Wuxie to be tonsured by Chan Master Lingmo. At the age of twenty-one, he went to Mount Song to receive the full precepts. In traveling to various regions, he first called on Nanquan, and next visited Weishan. Weishan directed him, saying, "From here, in You County of Fengling, there is a series of stone chambers where the Daoist of Yunyan resides. If you can part the grass and gaze at the wind, he will surely be esteemed by you." Thereupon he went directly to Yunyan and at once asked, "Who is able to hear insentient beings preaching the Dharma?" Yunyan said, "Insentient beings can hear it." The master asked, "Does the Venerable Abbot hear it?" Yunyan said, "If I heard it, you would not hear my preaching of the Dharma." The master said, "Why do I not hear it?" Yunyan raised his fly-whisk and said, "Do you hear it yet?" The master said, "I do not hear it." Yunyan said, "When I preach the Dharma you still do not hear it, how much less the Dharma preached by insentient beings!" The master said, "What scriptural teaching encompasses insentient beings preaching the Dharma?" Yunyan said, "Have you not seen the Amitābha Sūtra, which says that water, birds, and grove of trees all recite the Buddha and recite the Dharma?" At this, the master had an awakening, and thereupon composed a verse: / 'How wonderful! How wonderful! / Insentient beings preaching the Dharma is inconceivable. / If one listens with the ears, it is ultimately hard to comprehend; / Only when heard through the eyes does one come to know it.' / He took his leave and departed. In the late years of the Dazhong reign of Xuanzong, he received and instructed students on Mount Xinfeng, and flourished in transforming beings at Dongshan in Gao'an, Yuzhang. Provisionally he opened the five ranks, skillfully receiving people of the three spiritual capacities; he widely proclaimed the single sound, extensively propagating the myriad categories. Drawing across the precious sword, he cut down the dense forest of various views; in wondrous accord and broad penetration, he severed the myriad kinds of far-fetched interpretations. Furthermore, he obtained Caoshan, who deeply understood the explicit meaning, singing wondrously of auspicious principles; their Dao harmonized as ruler and minister, the partial and the absolute interchanging. Because of this, the profound tradition of Dongshan spread throughout the realm. Therefore, the masters of the school across all quarters unanimously honored it, naming it the Caodong School. Reaching this point, in the second month of the tenth year of Xiantong, he entered nirvāṇa. His age was sixty-three; his monastic age was forty-two. By imperial decree he was posthumously titled Chan Master Wuben, and his stupa was named Huijue (Transmission of the Lamp).