釋氏稽古略 3.301

3.301

Shishuang. Chan Master Shishuang of Mount Shishuang in Tan Prefecture was named Qingzhu. He was of the Chen family of Xinfu in Ji Prefecture, Jiangxi. He shaved his head under Chan Master Shaoluan of Xishan in Hongjing. He went to Luoyang to study the Vinaya teachings. Arriving at Guishan, he served as the grain keeper. One day, Guishan picked up a grain of rice and said to the Master, 'Do not slight this single grain; hundreds of thousands of grains are born from this single grain.' The Master said, 'Hundreds of thousands of grains are born from this single grain, but I wonder where this single grain was born from?' Guishan laughed heartily and returned to his abbot's quarters. That evening, ascending the hall, he said, 'There is an insect inside the rice. You should all look closely.' Later, he studied under Chan Master Daowu Zhi, secretly chiming with the essential mind. Afterwards, seeking to escape the world, he mingled with the common folk at the Tao Family Workshop in Liuyang, Changsha, where no one recognized him. Because a monk cited Dongshan's sermon on concluding the retreat: 'At the beginning of autumn and the end of summer, brothers go east and go west; you must go straight to the place where there is not an inch of grass for ten thousand miles,' the Master said, 'Stepping out the door, there is already grass!' When Dongshan heard of this, he said, 'These are the words of a good friend to fifteen hundred people.' Because of this, the Master's reputation spread widely. The Emperor heard of the Master's virtuous reputation and bestowed a purple robe upon him; he declined and would not accept it. Arriving at the third year of Guangqi, he passed into quiescence and was buried in the northwest corner of the cloister. By imperial order, he was posthumously granted the title 'Great Master Puhui.' He was the dharma heir of Daowu Zongzhi; Zhi was the dharma heir of Yaoshan Yan; Yan was the dharma heir of Shitou Qian; Qian was the dharma heir of Qingyuan Si (Record of the Transmission of the Lamp).