釋氏稽古略 4.368

4.368

Chan Master Mi'an of Tiantong in Mingzhou was named Xianjie, born into the Zheng family of Fuzhou. From his youth he was extraordinarily intelligent; he left home to become a monk and traveled widely to visit wise teachers. Later he paid homage to Ying'an at Mingguo in Quzhou. Ying'an was aloof and unyielding, difficult to enter; Xianjie was repeatedly rebuked. One day Ying'an asked, 'What is the true Dharma eye?' The master immediately answered, 'A broken clay basin.' Ying'an nodded in assent. Not long after, he took his leave to visit his parents. The master sent him off with a gāthā: / 'The phrase of complete breakthrough matches the opportunity, / Right before the sun, the crown of the head opens wide. / Accompanying each other now for four years, / Subtle cross-examination leaves not a trace. / Though the bowl-bag has not yet been handed over, / His spirit swallows heaven and earth. / Yet he takes the true Dharma eye / And calls it a broken clay basin. / On this journey to pay respects to your parents, / Be strictly cautious against stumbling. / I have a final phrase; / Wait until you return, for you must follow it.' / He assumed his first abbacy at Wuju in Quzhou, then moved to Xiangfu, and to Huazang on Mount Jiang in Jiankang. Soon he was decreed to reside at Jingshan and Lingyin, and in his late years he resided at Tiantong. When he demonstrated quiescence, his whole body was enshrined in a stūpa at the central peak of the monastery. He was the dharma heir of Chan Master Ying'an Hua (from the Wudeng Huiyuan).