大明高僧傳 5.28

5.28

Shi Anmin was styled Miyin. He was a native of the Zhu family of Jiading Prefecture. At first he lectured on the *Śūraṅgama-sūtra* in Chengdu with renown. At that time, Yuanwu resided at Zhaojue, so Anmin went to visit him. It coincided with Yuanwu holding an informal gathering and citing the circumstance of the National Teacher calling his attendant three times. Zhaozhou commented, 'Like someone writing characters in the dark: although the characters are not formed, the pattern is already manifest. Where is the place where the pattern is already manifest?' When Min heard this, doubt arose in his mind. He asked for incense and entered the room. Yuanwu asked, 'What scripture does the lecturer expound?' He replied, 'The *Śūraṅgama*.' Yuanwu said, 'The *Śūraṅgama* has the searching for the mind in seven places and the returning of appearances in eight ways to discern seeing. Ultimately, where is the mind?' Min presented conceptual explanations many times, but Yuanwu approved none of them. Min asked for further instruction. Yuanwu told him to understand everywhere as 'the pattern is already manifest.' By chance, a monk asked about the *Discourse on the Ten Mysteries*, just raising: 'I ask you, what does the mind-seal look like?' Yuanwu said in a stern voice, 'The pattern is already manifest!' Hearing this, Min was delighted and considered himself to have reached the utmost. Yuanwu applied the tongs and hammer, giving no directional clues. One day, Min said to Yuanwu, 'Please do not cite cases; wait for me to explain, and see.' Yuanwu agreed. Min said, 'In ordinarily taking up the mallet and raising the fly-whisk, is it not as the scripture says: "All existing forms in all worlds are just the bodhi, the wondrous luminous true mind"?' Yuanwu laughed and said, 'So you have been making your living right here all along!' Min said again, 'When letting out a shout and striking the bed, is it not "turning hearing inward to hear one's own nature, and the nature accomplishes the unsurpassable Way"?' Yuanwu said, 'Have you not seen the scripture say: "The wondrous nature is round and clear, free from all names and forms"?' At these words, Min was released. Thereupon he ceased lecturing and attended upon Yuanwu. Because Yuanwu left Shu to reside at Jiashan, Min accompanied him. When Yuanwu held an informal gathering for the assembly and cited the circumstance of 'before the ancient sail is hoisted,' Min heard it without comprehending and thus sought resolution. Yuanwu said, 'You ask me.' Min raised the previous topic. Yuanwu said, 'The cypress tree in the courtyard.' Min immediately understood thoroughly and said to Yuanwu, 'The ancients said it is like a drop cast into a vast chasm, but they never realized that the great ocean is cast into a single drop!' Yuanwu laughed and said, 'What can one do with this fellow?' Yuanwu spoke a verse: / 'Cease boasting of the fourfold Vinaya, put an end to the *Śūraṅgama*; / Lower your clouds and thoroughly investigate. / Do not imitate Master Liang's calling upon Mazu; / Rather be like Dejiao visiting Longtan. / For seven years coming and going, wandering at Zhaojue; / For three years soaring, ascending Mount Bi'yan. / Today, I trouble you to fill the head seat; / Amidst the hundred flowers, the udumbara appears.' / Before long, he opened the Dharma at Baoning, and moved to Huazang, greatly propagating the Way of Yuanwu. Later, he manifested quiescence at his home mountain. From the jhāpita, śarīra were extremely abundant; people who dug a foot or so into the earth all obtained them, extraordinarily bright, clear, and clean. His heart and tongue did not decay, and a stūpa was erected for both.