景德傳燈錄 16.37

16.37

Chan Master Lingchao of Shanglan in Hongzhou first resided at Mount Shanglan in Yunzhou, expounding the Chan of Jiashan. Students gathered together. Later, he founded a Chan cloister at Hongjing and resided there, still naming it Shanglan, and his transformation and guidance flourished even more.
A monk asked, 'What is the fundamental matter of Shanglan?' The Master said, 'Not borrowed from the thousand sages, how could it be sought from the ten thousand functions?' The monk said, 'How is it just when neither borrowing nor seeking?' The Master said, 'Can it be picked up and placed in your hand?'
He asked, 'How does one discern the matter before the point?' The Master said, 'Before the point, no shadow is revealed; do not search for it on the tongue.'
He asked, 'When two dragons vie for the pearl, who is the winner?' The Master said, 'Its pearls cover the earth; seen by the eyes, they are like mud.'
He asked, 'What was Sudhana's intention in seeing Mañjuśrī and then heading south?' The Master said, 'Learning relies on entering the room; knowing reaches everywhere.' The monk asked, 'Why did Maitreya send him to see Mañjuśrī again?' The Master said, 'The Way is vast and boundless; meeting people, it is inexhaustible.'
In the first month of the gengxu year, the Dashun era of the Tang dynasty, he summoned the monks and announced, 'I originally agreed to stay here for ten years. Now that my teaching work is completed, I should depart.' On the fifteenth day, after the midday meal, the bell was sounded, and sitting upright, he departed forever. He was posthumously named Great Master Yuanzhen, and his stupa was named Benkong.