景德傳燈錄 16.41

16.41

Chan Master Yuelun of Mount Huang in Fuzhou was a native of Futang in Fuzhou. His surname was Xu. At the age when his mind was set on learning, he went to Mount Huangbo Temple in his home commandery to take refuge under Chan Master Guan. Having received the teachings and fulfilled the precepts, he then traveled around and reached Tushui, where he visited Upādhyāya Sanfeng. Although their questions and answers were orderly, their faculties and conditions did not mesh. Soon hearing of Jiashan's flourishing conversion [of disciples], he went to inquire of him. Jiashan asked the Master, "What is your name?" The Master said, "My name is Yuelun (Moon Disc)." Jiashan drew a circular figure and said, "What does this resemble?" The Master said, "When the Upādhyāya speaks like this, there are many in the various quarters who do not agree." [Jiashan] said, "I am just so; what about the ācārya?" The Master said, "Do you still see the moon disc?" [Jiashan] said, "When the ācārya speaks like this, there are many here who do not agree with the various quarters." The Master then respectfully took this to heart and attended him. One day Jiashan raised his voice and asked, "Where are you from, sir?" The Master said, "A man of Min." [Jiashan] said, "Do you still recognize this old monk?" The Master said, "Does the Upādhyāya still recognize this student?" [Jiashan] said, "Not so. You must first pay this old monk for his straw sandals, and then this old monk will pay you the price of Jiangling rice." The Master said, "In that case, I do not recognize the Upādhyāya, and I do not yet know what Jiangling rice costs." Jiashan said, "Sir, you are well able to roar like a lion." He then entered [Jiashan's] quarters, received the seal of transmission, and stayed close to him for seven years. Only then did he take leave and go to Fuzhou, where he selected Mount Longji to live in seclusion. Companions of the profound gathered like clouds. The Master then expounded Jiashan's profound meaning, and his fame was heard in all quarters. Later he returned to Linchuan and took pleasure in dwelling at Mount Huang. He said to his disciples, "My dwelling on this mountain accords quite well with my original aspiration." The Master ascended the hall and addressed the assembly, saying, "The ancestral master came from the West specifically to proclaim this matter. It is merely that you do not understand it and race outward in pursuit—plunging into the Red Waters to seek the pearl, or approaching Mount Jing to search for jade. Therefore it is said: 'What enters through the gate is not the family treasure.' Mistaking the shadow for the head—how could that not be a great error?" Then a monk asked, "What is the ancestral master's intention?" The Master said, "In the Liang palace, he displayed no merit; in the realm of Wei, traces of mind were severed." He asked, "What is the Way?" The Master said, "The stone ox repeatedly exhales the mist of the three spring [months]; the wooden horse's neighing fills the thoroughfares." He asked, "How can one see one's original face?" The Master said, "No need to suspend a stone mirror; when heaven dawns, the rooster naturally crows." He asked, "I ask the Master to discuss a phrase of the ancestral vehicle." The Master said, "Yellow Peak stands singularly apart, exquisite beyond things; as years come and months pass, the wind blows coldly." He asked, "How can words that do not discriminate be pointed out and guided?" The Master said, "The sword has long gone, yet you only now notch the boat." He asked, "What is the matter beneath the patch-robe?" The Master said, "The stone ox lies on the water; east and west, it attains freedom." He asked, "What is the meaning right before one's eyes?" The Master said, "The autumn wind has resonance; the crescent moon has no fixed place." He asked, "Where should a student apply his mind?" The Master said, "The gate of awakening is not shut; facing the moon, do not be deluded." He asked, "What is the path into the blue sky?" The Master said, "The crane roosts in trees beyond the clouds, untired by harsh wind and frost." He asked, "What about past matters?" The Master said, "When the dragon cries in the clear pool, the billows naturally grow solemn." The Master resided on Mount Huang for barely thirteen years. Students came, and none went away in vain. On the twenty-first day of the twelfth month in the third year of the Tongguang era of the Later Tang, he manifested a slight illness. At the noon hour on the twenty-sixth day, he calmly passed away while sitting. His age was seventy-two, his monastic age fifty-three. On the twentieth day of the first month of the following year, a stūpa was built for him in the northwest corner of the monastery.