釋氏稽古略 4.326

4.326

In the Song, Chan Master Mu'an of Longxing in Jiangxi was named Fachong, a son of the Yao family of Yin County in Mingzhou. In his youth his nature was concentrated and tranquil; he requested his parents' leave to leave home, and his parents sent him forth. He was tonsured under Master Daoying at Chongjiao Cloister in the prefecture. At age nineteen, he was ordained by passing the scriptural examination, hastened to the lecture halls, and investigated the Tiantai tenets, becoming quite conceited. One day, when he revealed what he had studied to a Chan practitioner, he was refuted and frustrated, thereby giving rise to doubt. He went to Chan Master Jiao of Tiantong, who directed him to seek southwards; thereupon he went to the assembly of Chan Master Xu of Xuefeng in Min, but without awakening. He proceeded to the assembly of Chan Master Foyan Yuan at Longmen in Shuzhou, Huaixi. Wandering by the water mill, he caught sight of its placard reading 'The Wheel of Dharma Ever Turns,' and was suddenly greatly enlightened. He spoke a verse, saying: 'Turning the great wheel of the Dharma, / Enveloping all before the eyes. / If you further ask what it is like: / The water pushes the millstone.' Foyan nodded in assent. Taking his leave, he crossed the Jiujiang and climbed Mount Lu, sleeping in the open and bedding down on grass, with snakes and tigers as his neighbors. Wherever the mountains relaxed and the waters were tranquil, he would dwell whenever it suited his mind. He resided at the five monasteries of Shengye, Nandayungai, Gong'an, and Daguishan, and later proceeded to Huanglong in Yuzhang. Reaching this jisi year, Grand Commandant Lord Xing Xiaoyang donated gold to construct a longevity stupa for Chong at Xiangyuan to the east of the monastery. As soon as the work was completed, Chong smiled and said, 'I am about to depart.' He wrote a verse, saying: 'Sixty-six years roaming amidst dreams and illusions; / Singing loudly, I return, letting go into the boundless void.' Closing his eyes, he passed away. He was a dharma heir of Chan Master Foyan Yuan; Yuan was the heir of Wuzu Yan; Yan was the heir of Baiyun Duan; Duan was the heir of Yangqi Hui; Hui was the heir of Chan Master Ciming Yuan—this being the Linji branch. Those who inherited Chong's Dharma included Chan Master Pu'an Su and others (Pudeng [lu]).