景德傳燈錄 15

English (machine translation) 15

Language: English

15.1

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Xingsi of Mount Qingyuan in Jizhou
Fourth Generation: 17 people
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Chongxin of Longtan in Lizhou: 2 people
Chan Master Xuanjian of Deshan in Langzhou
Upādhyāya Baofeng of Letan in Hongshan
(The above 2 people appear in the record)
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Xingkong of Jizhou: 2 people
Upādhyāya Maoyuan of Shezhou
Chan Master Guangren of Zaoshan
(The above 2 people appear in the record)
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Wuxue of Cuiwei in Jingzhao: 5 people
Chan Master Lingzun of Mount Qingping in Ezhou
Chan Master Datong of Mount Touzi in Shuzhou
Chan Master Runa of Mount Daochang in Huzhou
Chan Master Yue of Baiyun in Jianzhou
(The above 4 people appear in the record)
Chan Master Yuantong of Mount Funiu
(1 person, without encounter statements, is not recorded)
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Yuanzhi of Mount Daowu in Tanzhou: 3 people
Chan Master Qingzhu of Mount Shishuang in Tanzhou
Chan Master Zhongxing of Jianyuan in Tanzhou
Upādhyāya Luqing
(The above 3 people appear in the record)
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Yunyan Tansheng of Tanzhou: 4 people
Chan Master Liangjie of Dongshan in Junzhou
Chan Master Jianhong of Xingshan in Zhuozhou
Chan Master Sengmi of Shenshan in Tanzhou
Upādhyāya Youxi
(The above 4 people appear in the record)
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Decheng, the Boatman of Huating: 1 person
Chan Master Shanhui of Jiashan in Lizhou
(1 person appears in the record)
Fifth Generation, Part One: 14 people
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Datong of Mount Touzi in Shuzhou: 13 people
Chan Master Touzi Wen, the Second Generation
Chan Master Wei of Niutou in Fuzhou
Great Master Chengzhao of Xiangshan in Xichuan
Upādhyāya Tianfu of Xiafu
Upādhyāya Siming of Haozhou
Upādhyāya Zhaofu of Fengxiangfu
Chan Master Zungu of Mount Zhongliang in Xingyuan
Upādhyāya Guyin of Xiangzhou
Upādhyāya of Mount Jiuzong in Anzhou
Upādhyāya of the Second Generation of Mount Panshan in Youzhou
Chan Master Jinghui of Mount Jiuzong
Chan Master Yanjun of Guanyin Cloister in the Eastern Capital
(The above 12 people appear in the record)
Chan Master Zhen of Longfu in Guiyang
(1 person, without encounter statements, is not recorded)
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Lingzun of Mount Qingping in Ezhou: 1 person
Chan Master Linggui of Mount Sanjiao in Qizhou
(1 person appears in the record)

15.2

Chan Master Xingsi's Fourth Generation

15.3

Former Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Chongxin of Longtan in Lizhou

15.4

Chan Master Xuanjian of Deshan in Langzhou was a native of Jiannan, surnamed Zhou. He went forth from the household life in his youth, received the full precepts according to the prescribed age, and investigated the Vinaya Piṭaka with precision. He thoroughly penetrated the essential import of the various sūtras of nature and characteristics. Frequently lecturing on the Diamond Prajñā, he was known at the time as "Zhou Diamond." Later, he sought out the Chan lineage, and accordingly said to his fellow students, "A single hair swallows the ocean, yet the nature of the ocean is not diminished; a minute mustard seed is cast upon the tip of an awl, yet the awl's sharp point does not budge. The states of learning and non-learning are known only to me." Thereupon he visited Chan Master Longtan Chongxin. Their questions and answers consisted of only a single phrase (this has appeared in the preceding chapter). The Master immediately took his leave, but Longtan detained him. One evening he was sitting silently outside the room. Longtan asked, "Why do you not return?" The Master replied, "It is dark." Longtan then lit a candle and handed it to the Master. Just as the Master was about to take it, Longtan blew it out. The Master then bowed. Longtan said, "What have you seen?" He said, "From now on, I will not doubt the tongues of the venerable old upādhyāyas under heaven." The next day he set out. Longtan said to the assembly of disciples, "Among them is a fellow whose fangs are like a forest of swords, whose mouth is like a basin of blood; though struck with a staff, he does not turn his head. In the future, he will establish my Way atop an isolated peak." The Master arrived at Guishan. Crossing from the west of the Dharma hall to the east, he looked back at the abbot's quarters. Guishan remained silent. The Master said, "Nothing, nothing!" He then walked out. Arriving in front of the monks' hall, he said, "Although it is like this, I must not be negligent." He thereupon donned his full deportment and went up to pay his respects again. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he lifted his sitting mat and called out, "Upādhyāya!" Guishan was about to take up his whisk when the Master shouted, shook his sleeves, and walked out. In the evening, Guishan asked the community, "Where is the newly arrived monk from today?" They replied, "Having seen the upādhyāya, that monk did not look back at the monks' hall and left." Guishan asked the community, "Do you know that master?" The community said, "We do not know him." Guishan said, "In the future, that fellow will have a bundle of thatch over his head, reviling the Buddhas and reviling the patriarchs." The Master lived in Liyang for thirty years. During the persecution of the teachings by Emperor Wuzong of the Tang, he took refuge in a stone grotto on Mount Dufoushan. In the early years of the Dazhong era, Xue Tingwang, the Prefect of Wuling, rebuilt the Deshan monastery, naming it the Gude Chan Monastery (the plaque inscribed by Prime Minister Pei Xiu still exists). Seeking an eminent master to serve as abbot, he heard of the Master's practice of the Way and repeatedly invited him, but he would not descend the mountain. Tingwang then devised a ruse, dispatching officials to fabricate a charge of tea and salt smuggling, alleging that he had violated the prohibitions of the law. They brought the Master into the prefecture to pay respects, and firmly implored him to reside there. He greatly propagated the tradition of the school. (Chan Master Zongyin opened the mountain and founded the monastery; Xuanjian was the second generation to reside there.) The Master ascended the hall and addressed the assembly, saying, "If you have nothing to do with yourself, do not seek falsely. Even if obtained through false seeking, it is not true attainment. Just have nothing to do in your mind, and no mind toward things; then you will be open and luminous, empty and wondrous. If you speak of beginning and end by even a hair's breadth, it is all self-deception. A thread-like thought bound in mind is the karmic cause for the three destinies; a transient stirring of passion is the fetter of ten thousand kalpas. Sacred titles and mundane names are all empty sounds; exquisite forms and inferior shapes are all illusory colors. If you wish to seek them, how can you be free of burden? When you come to abhor them, that again turns into a great affliction. In the end, there is no benefit." The Master ascended the hall and said, "Tonight there must be no asking of questions. Whoever asks a question will receive thirty blows of the staff." At that time, a monk came forward and had just bowed when the Master struck him. The monk said, "I have not yet asked a question. Why does the upādhyāya strike me?" The Master said, "Where are you from?" He said, "A man of Silla." The Master said, "Before you even stepped across the ship's gunwale, you deserved thirty blows of the staff!" (Fayan said, "Great and small Deshan's words are cut into two pieces." Xuanjue said, "In the monasteries this is called 'words below the screen,' which may be granted; but what was Deshan's intention in saying that whoever asks a question gets thirty blows of the staff?") A monk came to pay respects. The Master asked the karmadāna, "How many new arrivals today?" He replied, "Eight." The Master said, "Bring them forth and bury them alive at once!" Longya asked, "When a student brandishes the Moyu sword and intends to take the Master's head, what then?" The Master stretched out his neck. (Fayan said separately, "Where would you strike?") Longya said, "The head has fallen!" The Master smiled faintly. Later, Longya went to Dongshan and recounted these words. Dongshan said, "What did Deshan say?" Longya said, "Deshan had no words." Dongshan said, "Do not say he had no words. Just bring Deshan's fallen head and present it to this old monk." Longya realized his error and repented. Someone recounted this to the Master. The Master said, "Old man Dongshan does not know good from bad. That fellow has been dead for how long? What is the use of trying to save him?" A monk asked, "What is a bodhisattva?" The Master struck him and said, "Get out! Do not defecate here!" A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "The Buddha is an old bhikṣu of the Western Heavens." Xuefeng asked, "With what Dharma have those from antiquity downward in our ancestral tradition instructed people?" The Master said, "Our school has no words and phrases; in truth there is not a single Dharma to give to people." Yantou heard of this and said, "Old man Deshan has a backbone as hard as iron, which cannot be bent and broken. Even so, regarding the gate of preaching the teachings, he still falls short a little bit." (Baofu brought this up and asked Zhaoqing, "Regarding Yantou's coming into the world, what verbal teaching did he have that surpassed Deshan's, that he spoke thus?" Zhaoqing said, "Have you not seen Yantou say: 'It is like a man learning archery; only after a long time does he hit the mark'?" Baofu said, "When he hits the mark, what then?" Zhaoqing said, "Acārya Zhan, are you insensible to pain and itch?" Baofu said, "Today the upādhyāya is not merely bringing up a topic." Zhaoqing said, "Acārya Zhan, what kind of mental activity is this?" Mingzhao said, "Great and small Zhaoqing wrongly applied names and words.") Whenever monks came to pay respects, the Master would mostly strike them with his staff. Linji heard of this and sent an attendant to pay respects, instructing him, "If Deshan strikes you, just seize his staff and poke him right in the chest with it." When the attendant arrived, just as he was bowing, the Master struck him. The attendant seized the staff and gave him a poke with it. The Master returned to the abbot's quarters. The attendant returned and recounted this to Linji. Linji said, "I have always suspected this fellow." (Yantou said, "Old man Deshan usually relies only on the single staff before his eyes; if a Buddha comes, he strikes, and if a patriarch comes, he strikes. Yet what can be done about his falling short a little bit?" Dongchan Qi said, "As for Linji saying 'I have always suspected this fellow,' are these words of approval or words of disapproval? Or is there another principle altogether? Try to determine it!") The Master ascended the hall and said, "To ask is an error; not to ask is also contrary." A monk came out and bowed. The Master struck him immediately. The monk said, "I had only just bowed. Why strike me at once?" The Master said, "If I wait for you to open your mouth, what will you be fit for?" The Master ordered an attendant to summon Yicun (who was Xuefeng). Yicun came up. The Master said, "I called Yicun myself. What have you come for?" Yicun had no reply. The Master saw a monk coming and closed the door. The monk knocked on the door. The Master said, "Who is it?" He said, "A lion cub." The Master opened the door. The monk bowed. The Master sat astride his neck and said, "Where has this beast been?" Xuefeng asked, "What was the meaning of the ancient one cutting the cat in two?" The Master struck and drove him away. Then he called him back, "Do you understand?" Xuefeng said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Even with my kind grandmotherly [heart], you still do not understand." A monk asked, "How far apart are the mundane and the sacred?" The Master gave a shout. Once, when the Master was ill, a monk asked, "Is there one who is not ill?" The Master said, "There is." He asked, "What is the one who is not ill?" The Master said, "Ouch, ouch!" The Master again addressed his disciples, saying, "Groping at emptiness and chasing echoes only wearies your mind and spirit. Awakening from a dream, one realizes the unreality—in the end, what matter is there?" Having spoken these words, he sat peacefully and passed away. It was the third day of the twelfth month in the second year of the Xiantong era of the Tang (yiyou). He was eighty-six years old, with sixty-five summer retreats. By imperial decree, he was posthumously granted the title Great Master Jianxing (Seeing Nature).

15.5

Upādhyāya Baofeng of Letan in Hongzhou. A monk newly arrived. The Master said to him, "Matters within it are easy to speak of; matters not falling within it are hard to speak of from beginning to end." The monk said, "While on the road, I already knew there would be this question." The Master said, "Even with another twenty years of pilgrimage, it would not be too much." He said, "Could it be that it does not accord with the upādhyāya's mind?" The Master said, "How can bitter gourd be fit to treat a guest?" The Master asked a monk, "The ancients had a single road to guide beginners among later generations. Do you know it?" He said, "Please, Master, point out the ancients' single road." The Master said, "In that case, the ācārya already knows it." He said, "Putting another head on top of a head." The Master said, "Baofeng should not have questioned the benevolent one." He said, "What harm is there in questioning?" The Master said, "Here, no one has ever left talking wildly about principles."

15.6

Dharma heirs of the former Chan Master Xingkong of Jizhou

15.7

Upādhyāya Maoyuan of Shezhou. Pingtian came to pay respects. The Master was about to rise. Pingtian grabbed him and said, "Opening the mouth is an error; closing the mouth is destruction. Putting aside such moments, please speak, Master!" The Master merely covered his ears with his hands. Pingtian released his hands and said, "One step is easy; two steps are hard." The Master said, "What deadly hurry is there?" Pingtian said, "Were it not for this, the Master could not avoid being scrutinized by the teachers of all quarters."

15.8

When Chan Master Guangren of Zaoshan was ascending the hall, the great assembly gathered. Coming out of the abbot's quarters and not yet having reached the Chan seat, the Master said to the assembly, "Is there anyone who does not fail the eyes of a lifetime of pilgrimage and can bring forth an inquiry?" Just as he ascended the hall and sat down, a monk came forward and bowed. The Master said, "Not failing me may be granted; but what about the great assembly?" He then returned to the abbot's quarters. The next day, another monk asked him to discern the intention of his previous words. The Master said, "At mealtime there is rice for you to eat; at night there is a bed for you to sleep in. Why do you press me constantly?" The monk bowed. The Master said, "Bitter, bitter!" The monk said, "Please, Master, point it out directly." The Master then lowered his feet and said, "Extending and retracting is entirely up to this old monk."

15.9

Dharma heirs of the former Chan Master Cuiwei Wuxue of Jingzhao

15.10

Chan Master Lingzun of Mount Qingping in Ezhou was a native of Dongping surnamed Wang. In his youth he relied upon the Northern Bodhi Monastery in his home prefecture. In the sixth year of the Xiantong reign era of the Tang dynasty, he had his head shaved. Later he went to Kaiyuan Monastery in Huazhou to receive full ordination and diligently studied the Vinaya. One day he said to his peers, "A śramaṇa should penetrate birth and death and deeply fathom the Buddha's principle. If one merely toils over scrolls and volumes and binds oneself to the letters, it is like counting the sands of the sea—a vain expenditure of mind." Thereupon he abandoned his studies and travelled far to attend Chan gatherings. Arriving at Baima Monastery in Jiangling, he met an elder in the hall named Huaiqin. The Master approached him with queries, and Qin said, "I attended Danxia for a long time. Now that I am old, I am weary of guiding others. You may go call upon Cuiwei; he is my fellow practitioner." The Master bowed, took his leave, and departed. Reaching Cuiwei's hall, he asked, "What is the exact meaning of the coming from the West?" Cuiwei said, "Wait until there is no one around, and then I will tell you." After a good while, the Master said, "There is no one here; please, Master, speak." Cuiwei stepped down from the meditation platform and led the Master into a bamboo grove. The Master said again, "There is no one here; please, upādhyāya, speak." Cuiwei pointed to the bamboo and said, "This stalk is so long; that stalk is so short." Although the Master took in these subtle words, he had not yet thoroughly penetrated their profound import. In the first year of the Wende reign era, he arrived at Shangcai. It happened that the prefectural governor, revering the Dharma, founded the Datong Chan Cloister and invited him to expound the essentials of the school. The Master himself brought up the words from his first meeting with Cuiwei and told the assembly, "My late master entered the mud and water on my behalf; it was just that I failed to recognize good and bad." From then on, the Master taught and guided for nearly ten years. In the Guanghua reign era, leading over a hundred disciples, he traveled to Ezhou. Complying with the invitation of the Military Commissioner Du Hong, he took up residence at the Anle Cloister on Mount Qingping. Entering the hall, he said: "Sthaviras, those who have left home must comprehend the Buddha's meaning before they can attain it. If you comprehend the Buddha's meaning, it does not depend on being monk or lay, male or female, noble or base; simply following the abundance or frugality of your household in peace and contentment is sufficient. Sthaviras, you have all long dwelled in monasteries and called upon venerable elders far and wide. How, then, do you comprehend the Buddha's meaning? Try coming forward so we may discuss it together. Do not merely hold your heads high in vanity, only to end up accomplishing nothing and spending a lifetime in vain. If you have not comprehended the Buddha's meaning, even if water gushes from your head and fire flares from your feet, even if you burn your body and scorch your arms, even if you are wise, eloquent, gather one or two thousand disciples, preach the Dharma like clouds and rain, and lecture so that heavenly flowers fall in wild profusion, it will only amount to heterodox talk, contention, and disputes over right and wrong, remaining vastly distant from the Buddha Dharma. You are fortunate to have physical bodies that are safe and healthy, and not to have met with disasters. What is to stop you from stepping forward, putting in some effort, and realizing the Buddha's meaning for yourselves?" At that time a monk asked, "What is the Great Vehicle?" The Master said, "A hemp rope." The monk asked, "What is the Lesser Vehicle?" The Master said, "A string of coins." The monk asked, "What is the house style of Qingping?" The Master said, "One dou of flour makes three steamed cakes." The monk asked, "What is Chan?" The Master said, "A monkey climbs a tree, its tail swaying." The monk asked, "What is 'with outflows'?" The Master said, "A bamboo strainer." The monk asked, "What is 'without outflows'?" The Master said, "A wooden ladle." The monk asked, "How is it when meeting face to face?" The Master said, "Hand it over to the head cook." The rest of his skillful means in responding to capacities did not follow worldly sentiments at all. His words transcending all conventional standards in going with or against, rolling up or unfolding. On the twenty-fifth day of the first month at the hour of the horse in the sixteenth year of the Tianyou reign era, he entered quiescence at the age of seventy-five. In the sixth year of the Xiande reign era of the Zhou dynasty, he was posthumously granted the imperial title Chan Master Faxi ('Dharma Joy'), and his stūpa was named Shanying ('Auspicious Response').

15.11

Chan Master Datong of Mount Touzi in Shuzhou was a native of Huaining in the same prefecture. His surname was Liu. In his childhood, he became a monk under Chan Master Baotang Man in Luoyang. First he practiced the contemplation of anāpāna, and next he read the Huayan teachings, awakening to the ocean of nature. Then he visited the Dharma assembly of Mount Cuiwei and suddenly awakened to the ancestral tenets (his words appear in the chapter on Cuiwei). From then on he wandered freely and returned to his native land. He secluded himself on Mount Touzi, building a thatch hut to dwell in. One day Upādhyāya Zhaozhou Congshen arrived at Tongcheng county. The master also happened to leave the mountain, and they met on the road without knowing each other. Zhaozhou secretly asked a layman and learned he was Touzi. He then went up to him and asked, 'Are you the master of Mount Touzi?' The master said, 'Beg a copper for tea and salt.' Zhaozhou went first to sit in the hut. The master later returned to the hut carrying a bottle of oil. Zhaozhou said, 'I had long heard of Touzi, but upon arriving I see only an old oil seller.' The master said, 'You only see an old oil seller, but do not yet know Touzi.' [Zhaozhou] asked, 'What is Touzi?' The master said, 'Oil! Oil!' Zhaozhou asked, 'What about when one attains life in the midst of death?' The master said, 'One is not permitted to travel by night; one must arrive by dawn.' Zhaozhou said, 'I had anticipated white, but you waited for black.' (The dialogues between Master Datong and Master Shen are extensive, as found in their own records. Their words are crisp and robust, their points profound and steep. Those across all quarters said that Zhaozhou and Touzi had attained transcendent function.) From then on, the master's Dao was renowned throughout the realm. Companions of clouds and water vied to flock to him. The master addressed the assembly, saying: 'You people come here intending to seek fresh phrases, gathering parallel florid prose, cherishing something you can speak of with your mouths. This old man’s energy is somewhat feeble, my tongue sluggish. If you ask me, I simply answer as you ask; there is no mysterious subtlety that can reach you, nor do I teach you to strike root. In the end, I do not speak of the transcendental or the descending. Having Buddhas, having Dharmas, having worldlings, having sages—none of these are maintained. To sit and bind you people, producing a thousand transformations—all of this is your own generation of understanding, which you shoulder yourselves and receive your own retribution for what you do. Here there is nothing to give you; I dare not deceive or frighten you. There is neither outside nor inside that can be explained to you. Do you all understand?' Then a monk asked, 'What about when inside and outside are not contained?' The master said, 'Are you intending to strike root here?' A monk asked, 'Is there still an extraordinary matter in the great canon of teachings?' The master said, 'The great canon of teachings is rolled out.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the matter before the eyes are opened?' The master said, 'The eyes are pure, long, and broad like blue lotuses.' [A monk] asked, '"All Buddhas and all Buddhas' Dharmas come forth from this sūtra." What is this sūtra?' The master said, 'By this name you should uphold it.' [A monk] asked, 'Is there still a dragon’s chant in the withered tree?' The master said, 'I say there is a lion’s roar in the skull.' [A monk] asked, 'One Dharma universally moistens all living beings. What is this one Dharma?' The master said, 'Rain is falling.' [A monk] asked, 'What about when a single speck of dust contains the Dharma realm?' The master said, 'Already there are several specks of dust.' [A monk] asked, 'What about when the golden lock has not yet opened?' The master said, 'It is open.' [A monk] asked, 'What about when a student wishes to cultivate practice?' The master said, 'Empty space has never decayed.' Xuefeng was standing in attendance. The master pointed to a stone in front of the hut and said, 'The Buddhas of the three periods are all inside here.' Xuefeng said, 'You must know there is one not inside here.' The master then went back to sit in the hut. One day, Xuefeng accompanied the master to visit the hermit of Longmian. Xuefeng asked, 'Which way does the road to Longmian go?' The master pointed forward with his staff. Xuefeng said, 'Does it go east, or does it go west?' The master said, 'A bucket of black lacquer!' On another day, Xuefeng asked again, 'What about when it is accomplished in a single hammer blow?' The master said, 'Not a clever fellow.' Xuefeng said, 'What about when a single hammer blow is not used?' The master said, 'A bucket of black lacquer!' One day the master sat in his hut. Xuefeng asked, 'Upādhyāya, does anyone here still come for instruction?' The master picked up a hoe from under the bed and tossed it in front of him. Xuefeng said, 'Then I shall dig right here.' The master said, 'The lacquer bucket is not sharp.' When Xuefeng took his leave, the master went to the gate to see him off, and suddenly called out, 'Practitioner!' Xuefeng turned his head and responded, 'Yes?' The master said, 'Be a good monk along the road.' [A monk] asked, 'The old year has passed and the new year has arrived; is there anyone who is not involved in these two paths?' The master said, 'There is.' The monk said, 'Who is the one not involved?' The master said, 'The prime month begins good fortune; the myriad things are renewed.' [A monk] asked, 'Vaguely resembling a half moon, seemingly like three stars; heaven and earth cannot contain it—where do you illuminate it, Master?' The master said, 'What are you saying?' The monk said, 'I suppose, Master, you only have waves on still water, and no sky-flooding billows.' The master said, 'Idle words.' [A monk] asked, 'What about when coming in kind?' The master said, 'Coming in the kind of humans, coming in the kind of horses.' [A monk] asked, 'Buddha after Buddha gives a hand, patriarch after patriarch transmits; what Dharma is transmitted?' The master said, 'This old monk does not know how to tell lies.' [A monk] asked, 'What is stepping out the gate and not seeing the Buddha?' The master said, 'Nothing to behold.' [The monk] asked, 'What is entering the room and departing from father and mother?' The master said, 'Nothing born.' [A monk] asked, 'What is hiding one's body in the blazing flames?' The master said, 'What concealment is there?' [The monk] asked, 'What is hiding one's body in a pile of charcoal?' The master said, 'I say you are black as lacquer.' [A monk] asked, 'What about when the exact truth is not clear?' The master said, 'It is clear.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the final phrase?' The master said, 'At the very beginning it could not be understood.' [A monk] asked, 'From sprouts one discerns the soil; through words one knows the person. I wonder, by what can one discern?' The master said, 'It cannot be cited.' [A monk] asked, 'Among the three hundred people in the monastery, is there anyone not counted among the number?' The master said, 'Look a hundred years ago and fifty years hence.' The master asked a monk, 'I have long heard of the ginger master of Shushan; could that be you?' There was no answer. (Fayan said in his place, 'I have long revered the Upādhyāya.') A monk asked, 'Holding unworked jade, I come to the master; please, Master, carve and polish it.' The master said, 'It will not make timber for ridgepoles and beams.' [The monk] said, 'Then Bian He has no place to show himself.' The master said, 'Shouldering it means hardship and toil.' [The monk] said, 'What about when not shouldering it?' The master said, 'I would not have you embrace unworked jade, come to the master, and ask for further carving and polishing.' [A monk] asked, 'Prince Nezha broke his bones to repay his father and cut his flesh to repay his mother; what was Nezha’s original body?' The master put down the staff in his hand. [A monk] asked, 'Regarding the two words "Buddha" and "Dharma", how can one discern purity and impurity?' The master said, 'Buddha and Dharma: purity and impurity.' [The monk] said, 'I do not understand.' The master said, 'What did you just ask?' [A monk] asked, 'Both alike are water; why is the sea salty and the river fresh?' The master said, 'Stars in the sky, trees on the earth.' (Fayan said separately, 'It seems greatly contrary.') [A monk] asked, 'What is the ancestral master’s intention?' The master said, 'Maitreya cannot find a place to receive prophecy.' [A monk] asked, 'Since the Upādhyāya resided here, what realm has there been?' The master said, 'A tufted-hair girl with white-haired threads.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the insentient preaching the Dharma?' The master said, 'Fierce.' [A monk] asked, 'What is Vairocana?' The master said, 'Already having a name.' [The monk] asked, 'What is Vairocana’s teacher?' The master said, 'Understand it before Vairocana existed.' [A monk] asked, 'Please, Master, utter a succinct phrase.' The master said, 'Good.' [A monk] asked, 'What about when the four mountains press close together?' The master said, 'The five aggregates are all empty.' [A monk] asked, 'What about before a single thought arises?' The master said, 'Truly a lie.' [A monk] asked, 'How far apart are the ordinary and the holy?' The master stepped down from the meditation seat and stood. [A monk] asked, 'If a student asks a single question, the Upādhyāya answers; what if suddenly there are a thousand or ten thousand questions?' The master said, 'Like a hen brooding on an egg.' [A monk] asked, '"In heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one." What is "I"?' The master said, 'What fault is there in pushing over this old barbarian?' [A monk] asked, 'Who is the Upādhyāya’s teacher?' The master said, 'Meeting him, one does not see his head; following him, one does not see his form.' [A monk] asked, 'Before the carved image is completed, I wonder where the body is?' The master said, 'Do not create confusion.' The monk said, 'What about whether it appears or does not appear?' The master said, 'Where is it hidden?' [A monk] asked, 'How does an eyeless person advance?' The master said, 'Pervading the ten directions.' The monk said, 'If without eyes, why pervade the ten directions?' The master said, 'Can eyes even be fitted?' [A monk] asked, 'What is the meaning of coming from the west?' The master said, 'Not taboo.' [A monk] asked, 'What about before the moon is full?' The master said, 'Swallowing two or three.' The monk said, 'What about after it is full?' The master said, 'Spitting out seven or eight.' [A monk] asked, 'When the sun and moon are not yet bright, where are the Buddha and sentient beings?' The master said, 'Seeing this old monk angry, they say angry; seeing this old monk pleased, they say pleased.' The master asked a monk, 'Where do you come from?' [The monk] said, 'I have come from paying respects to the ancestral masters at Dongshan and Xishan.' The master said, 'The ancestral masters are not at Dongshan or Xishan.' The monk had no words. (Fayan said in his place, 'The Upādhyāya knows the ancestral masters.') [A monk] asked, 'What is the aim within the profound?' The master said, 'It does not reach your mouth to speak.' [A monk] asked, 'What about before Niutou met the Fourth Patriarch?' The master said, 'He was a teacher to others.' [The monk] also asked, 'What about after he met him?' The master said, 'He was not a teacher to others.' [A monk] asked, 'All Buddhas appear in the world solely because of the one great matter of causes and conditions. What is the one great matter of causes and conditions?' The master said, 'Minister of Works Yin opened the hall for this old monk.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The master said, 'An illusion cannot be sought.' [A monk] asked, 'I have sought the master from a thousand li away; please, Master, receive me.' The master said, 'Today this old monk has a backache.' The vegetable-garden keeper entered the abbot's quarters to request instruction. The master said, 'Go for now; wait until there is no one around, and I will explain it for the ācārya.' The next day, the vegetable-garden keeper watched until no one was around and came again to ask the Upādhyāya to explain. The master said, 'Come closer.' The vegetable-garden keeper came closer. The master said, 'On no account must you bring this up to others.' [A monk] asked, 'Setting aside throat, lips, and mouth, please speak, Master.' The master said, 'You just want me to be unable to speak.' [A monk] asked, 'What about before Bodhidharma came?' The master said, 'Pervading heaven and pervading earth.' [The monk] said, 'What about after he came?' The master said, 'It cannot be covered over.' [A monk] asked, 'What about before the Upādhyāya saw his late teacher?' The master said, 'Helpless throughout the whole body.' [The monk] said, 'What about after seeing your late teacher?' The master said, 'The whole body cannot be smashed.' [The monk] said, 'Did you still obtain it from the master or not?' The master said, 'In the end I did not fail him.' [The monk] said, 'Then you obtained it from the master.' The master said, 'Use your own eyes to pursue it.' [The monk] said, 'Then you failed your late teacher.' The master said, 'Not only did I fail my late teacher, I also failed this old monk.' [A monk] asked, 'The seven Buddhas are disciples of Mañjuśrī; does Mañjuśrī still have a teacher?' The master said, 'Speaking like that just now is much like humbling oneself to extol another.' [A monk] asked, 'What about before the golden rooster crows?' The master said, 'There is no such sound.' [The monk] said, 'What about after it crows?' The master said, 'Each knows the time.' [A monk] asked, 'The lion is the king of beasts; why is it swallowed by the six sense-objects?' The master said, 'Not making oneself great, there is neither self nor other.' The master lived on Mount Touzi for more than thirty years. Those who came and went to stimulate inquiry and seek instruction always filled the room. The master gave them free rein, answering promptly as asked with fearless eloquence. There were very many profound words of simultaneous pecking and tapping. Here only a small portion is briefly recorded. During the Zhonghe era of the Tang dynasty, the Huang Chao rebels violently arose and the realm fell into chaos. There was a mad bandit who brandished a blade up the mountain and asked the master, 'What are you doing here?' The master then preached the Dharma appropriately. The chieftain heard it, prostrated in submission, removed the robe from his body to offer it, and left. On the sixth day of the fourth month in the fourth year of the Qianhua era, the jiaxu year [914 CE], the master showed slight illness. The great assembly asked for a physician. The master said to the assembly, 'The movements, aggregation, and dispersion of the four elements are the ordinary course. Do not worry; I protect myself.' Having finished speaking, he sat cross-legged and passed away. His age was ninety-six. An imperial edict bestowed the posthumous title 'Great Master Ciji' (Compassionate Relief) and named his stupa 'Zhenji' (True Quiescence).

15.12

Chan Master Runai of Mount Daochang in Huzhou. A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the teachings?" The Master said, "Look for yourself." The monk bowed. The Master said, "The bright moon spreads across the Milky Way; the contours of mountains and rivers are naturally distinct." [The monk] asked, "How can the nature of hearing be attained without following conditions?" The Master said, "Listen and see." The monk bowed. The Master said, "A deaf person also sings the tune of the barbarian pipe; good and bad, high and low, they themselves do not hear." The monk said, "If so, then the nature of hearing is fully present!" The Master said, "A stone stands in empty space; fire burns in water." [The monk] asked, "Does empty space have a boundary or not?" The Master said, "You know far too much." The monk bowed. The Master said, "On the tip of a three-foot staff, carrying the sun and the moon; a speck of dust flies up, letting it cover the sky." [The monk] asked, "What is a person of the Way?" The Master said, "Moving and acting without trace; rising and sitting, completely hidden from others." The monk said, "What is it like then?" The Master said, "The force of three furnaces is exhausted, without smoke or flame; ten thousand acres are level because the water does not flow." [The monk] asked, "How is it when not a single thought arises?" The Master said, "What can that be used for?" The monk was silent. The Master added, "Penetrating through the Dragon Gate, clouds and rain merge; mountains, rivers, and the great earth leave no trace." The Master had double pupils in his eyes, and his hanging hands reached past his knees. After receiving the secret instruction from Cuiwei, he settled on Mount Daochang, cut away the grass, and set up a hut. Students arrived from the four directions, and it subsequently became a Chan monastery, broadly unfolding the transformation of the Dharma. The three robes of ragged patched cloth that he left behind, as well as the staff and wooden clogs used when opening the mountain, are today preserved in the portrait hall. (According to the pagoda inscription: The Master's family name was Xu, a native of Wuxing. At the age of seven he left his family at Guangfu Temple in Wudun. In the eighth year [of his ordination/training], he went to the capital to receive the full precepts. He went to Yuzhang and received the mind-seal from Cuiwei, and later built a hut on Mount Daochang. Fierce beasts were tamed and subdued as though receiving his instruction.)

15.13

Chan Master Baiyun Yue of Jianzhou (who once resided at Dongchan Cloister in Jiangzhou). A monk asked, "Not sitting in the hall of partial emptiness, not abiding in the rank beyond learning—where should such a person be placed?" The Master said, "The blue sky has no flash of lightning." Upādhyāya Tiantai Shao came to study. The Master asked, "Where have you come from?" Shao said, "From north of the river." The Master said, "Did you come by boat or by land?" [Shao] said, "By boat." The Master said, "Did you happen to see any fish and turtles?" [Shao] said, "I frequently encountered them." The Master said, "When you encountered them, what happened?" Shao said, "Tut! Drawing in their heads!" The Master laughed heartily.

15.14

Dharma Heirs of the Former Chan Master Daowu Yuanzhi of Mount Daowu in Tanzhou

15.15

Chan Master Qingshu of Mount Shishuang in Tanzhou was a native of Xingan in Luling. His family name was Chen. At the age of thirteen, he shaved his head under Chan Master Shaoluan of West Mountain in Hongjing. At twenty-three, he received the full precepts at Mount Song, and went to Luoyang to study the vinaya teachings. Although he understood what was permitted and prohibited, it was ultimately a gradual school. He returned to Mount Dagui's Dharma assembly and served as the rice steward. One day the Master was sifting rice in the rice room. Guishan said, "Do not scatter the donors' goods." The Master said, "I am not scattering them." Guishan picked up a grain from the ground and said, "You say you are not scattering them—where did this one come from?" The Master had no reply. Guishan said again, "Do not disparage 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; I wonder where this single grain was born from?" Guishan chuckled and returned to the abbot's quarters. In the evening he ascended the hall and said, "Everyone, there is an insect in the rice!" Later, the Master studied under Daowu and asked, "What is awakening right before the eyes?" Daowu called a novice. The novice answered. Daowu said, "Add water to the clean vessel." Daowu then asked the Master, "What did you just ask?" The Master brought up the previous question, and Daowu got up and walked away. From this, the Master was awakened. Daowu said, "My illness is acting up, and I am about to leave the world. There has long been something in my heart that causes affliction; who can remove it?" The Master said, "Mind and things are both non-existent; removing it only increases the affliction." Daowu said, "Excellent, excellent!" At that time, he was only a monk of two summer retreats. Evading the world and mingling with ordinary society at the Tao Family Workshop in Liuyang, Changsha, wandering by morning and residing by evening, no one could recognize him. Later, because Upādhyāya Dongshan Jie sent a monk to seek him out, the awl in the bag was finally revealed, and he was promoted to reside at Mount Shishuang. Later, when Daowu was about to leave his assembly and pass away, taking the Master as his direct heir, he went in person to Mount Shishuang to join him. The Master diligently attended upon him daily, fully observing the rites of a disciple. When Daowu entered extinction, students gathered like clouds, filling the place with over five hundred people. (His extensive words appear in a separate volume.) One day he addressed the assembly, saying, "The teachings of the generation's eras arrange the hands and feet of people of the times. Whatever has a cause falls into the present moment. Direct up to 'the Dharma-body is not a body'—this is the highest principle of the scriptural schools. For us bhikṣus, there is completely no road of affirmation. If you discriminate, then you err; if you do not discriminate, then you sit in mud and water. It is simply due to the mind's intent that seen and heard are falsely spoken of." A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Western [Patriarch's] coming?" The Master said, "A slab of stone in the midst of space." The monk bowed. The Master said, "Do you understand?" [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Luckily you do not understand; if you understood, it would smash your head." [A monk] asked, "What is the upādhyāya's own fundamental matter?" The Master said, "Can a stone still sweat?" [A monk] asked, "Having arrived here, why is one instead unable to speak?" The Master said, "Put a mouth under the soles of your feet." [A monk] asked, "Does the true body still appear in the world or not?" The Master said, "It does not appear in the world." [The monk] said, "How then do we handle the true body?" The Master said, "The mouth of a lapis lazuli bottle." The Master was sitting in the abbot's quarters. A monk outside the bright window asked, "Being just a foot away, why do I not see the Master's face?" The Master said, "I say that throughout the entire world, it has never been hidden." The monk brought this up and asked Xuefeng, "What is the meaning of 'throughout the entire world, it has never been hidden'?" Xuefeng said, "Where is it not Shishuang?" The monk returned and presented Xuefeng's words to the Master. The Master said, "What pressing emergency does that old fellow have?" (Dongchan Qi said: "Did Xuefeng understand Shishuang's meaning, or did he not understand Shishuang's meaning? If he understood, why did he say he had a pressing emergency? If he did not understand, what then? How could Xuefeng not understand? However, the Dharma is not different, but due to different lineage transmissions, their understandings differ. When he said, 'Throughout the entire world, it has never been hidden,' one must have practiced it before one can understand. Speaking at random is not acceptable.") Yugai asked, "When the ten thousand doors are all closed, I will not ask; how is it when the ten thousand doors are all open?" The Master said, "What is the matter in the hall?" [Yugai] said, "No one can receive him." The Master said, "You have said a great deal indeed, but you have only said eighty or ninety percent." [Yugai] said, "I wonder what the upādhyāya would say?" The Master said, "No one can recognize him." (Dongchan Qi said: "What was Shishuang's meaning? If you say it is the same, why did he not approve him before? If you say there is another principle, he merely repeated it once more. Tell me, what was the ancient's meaning?") [A monk] asked, "How is it that the Buddha-nature is like empty space?" The Master said, "When lying down, it is there; when sitting, it is not." [A monk] asked, "How is it when one forgets to withdraw one foot?" The Master said, "I will not eat from the same plate with you." [A monk] asked, "How is it when the wind rises and the waves surge?" The Master said, "Inside the city of Hunan it is extremely bustling; there is someone who refuses to cross over to Jiangxi." When a monk mentioned that during Dongshan's gathering he instructed the assembly, saying, "Brothers, in early autumn and late summer, whether going east or going west, you must directly go to where there is not an inch of grass for ten thousand miles, only then will you attain it." And again, "Just as to where there is not an inch of grass for ten thousand miles, how do you go?" When the Master heard this, he said, "Stepping out the door, there is already grass." The monk related this to Dongshan. Dongshan said, "Within the great Tang realm, how many such people could there be?" (Dongchan Qi commented: "Tell me, did Shishuang understand Dongshan's meaning or not? If you say he understood, then as all you sthaviras daily turn, bend, bow, welcome, and see off, are you falling by the wayside among the grass, or are you in every case fitting into the groove? If you say he did not understand Dongshan's meaning, how could he utter such words? Is there any point of understanding? Where do you sthaviras intend to go? If you can be clear about this, it can be called returning to your native village. Have you not seen that someone made a turning word and said, 'If so, then I will not go'?") During the Master's twenty years on Mount Shishuang, the assembly of students sat continuously without lying down, towering like tree stumps; the world called them the "withered wood assembly." When Emperor Xizong of the Tang heard of the Master's reputation for the Way, he dispatched an envoy carrying the gift of a purple robe, but the Master firmly declined and would not accept it. In the fourth year of Guangqi (wushen), on the twentieth day (yihai) of the second month, he manifested illness and announced his passing, at the age of eighty-two, with fifty-nine years in the monastic order. On the fifteenth day of the third month, he was buried in the northwest corner of the cloister. By imperial decree, he was posthumously bestowed the title Grand Master Puhui, and his stupa was named Jianxiang ("Seeing Characteristics").

15.16

Chan Master Jianyuan Zhongxing of Tanzhou was the monastery cook at Daowu's place. One day, he accompanied Daowu to a patron's house to offer condolences. The Master tapped the coffin with his hand and said, "Is it alive or dead?" Daowu said, "I won't say alive, and I won't say dead." The Master said, "Why won't you say?" Daowu said, "I won't say! I won't say!" After finishing the condolences, while on the way back together, the Master said, "Upādhyāya, today you must tell Zhongxing. If you still don't tell me, I will hit you!" Daowu said, "Hit me if you like, but I won't say alive, and I won't say dead." The Master then struck Daowu several punches. When Daowu returned to the cloister, he told the Master to leave for a while, [saying], "Shortly, when the monastery directors find out, they will beat you." The Master then bowed, took his leave, and went to Shishuang. He related the previous words and the incident of striking Daowu, [saying], "Now I ask the upādhyāya to speak." Shishuang said, "Haven't you seen Daowu saying: 'I won't say alive, and I won't say dead'?" At this, the Master was greatly enlightened, and he set out a feast to repent. One day, the Master took a spade into the Dharma hall. Shishuang said, "What are you doing?" The Master said, "I have come seeking the deceased master's sacred relics." Shishuang said, "The vast waves are billowy, and the white breakers surge to heaven—what sacred relics are you looking for?" The Master said, "This is precisely the right time to apply effort." Shishuang said, "Here, even a needle cannot enter; what effort can you apply?" (Sthavira Fu of Taiyuan said in his stead: "The deceased master's sacred relics still exist.")

15.17

Upādhyāya Luqing. A monk asked, "Without falling into Daowu's mechanism, please speak, Master." The Master said, "The red amaranth in front of the courtyard produces leaves but does not produce flowers." After a long pause, he said, "Do you understand?" The monk said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "This is precisely Daowu's mechanism; why don't you understand?" The monk bowed. The Master struck him and said, "It requires this old monk to hit you before you get it!"

15.18

Dharma Heirs of the Former Chan Master Yunyan Tansheng of Mount Yunyan in Tanzhou

15.19

Chan Master Dongshan Liangjie of Junzhou was a native of Kuaiji. His family name was Yu. In his youth, he followed a master, and because he was reciting the Heart Sutra of Prajñā, he asked his master about the meaning of having no sense roots or sense fields. His master was astonished and said, "I am not your teacher," and immediately directed him to go to Mount Wuxie to pay homage to Chan Master Mo and shave his head. At the age of twenty-one, he received the full precepts at Mount Song. Traveling on pilgrimage, he first visited Nanquan, arriving during the memorial fasting ceremony on the anniversary of Mazu's passing. Nanquan put a question to the assembly of monks, saying, "Tomorrow we will offer a memorial feast for Master Ma; I wonder if Master Ma will come or not?" None of the assembly could reply. The Master came forward and replied, "When there is such a companion, he will come." Having heard this, Nanquan praised him, saying, "Although this fellow is a youngster, he is very worthy of being carved and polished." The Master said, "Upādhyāya, do not depress a free person into slavery." Next he visited Guishan and asked, "Recently I heard that National Teacher Zhong had the teaching of insentient beings expounding the Dharma. Liangjie has not yet penetrated its subtleties." Guishan said, "I have it here too, but it is just difficult to find the right person." [The Master] said, "Please speak of it, Master." Guishan said, "The mouth born of father and mother would never dare to speak of it." [The Master] asked, "Is there anyone else from your time who yearns for the Way?" Guishan said, "From here, where the stone chambers connect, there is the Daoist Yunyan. If you can part the grass and gaze at the wind, he will surely be esteemed by you." When he arrived at Yunyan's, he asked, "What kind of person can hear insentient beings expounding the Dharma?" Yunyan said, "Insentient beings expounding the Dharma can be heard by the insentient." The Master said, "Does the upādhyāya hear it?" Yunyan said, "If I heard it, you would not be able to hear me expound the Dharma." [The Master] said, "If so, then Liangjie does not hear the upādhyāya expounding the Dharma." Yunyan said, "You still do not hear me expound the Dharma—how much less insentient beings expounding the Dharma!" The Master then composed a verse and presented it to Yunyan, saying:

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景德傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese