景德傳燈錄 19

English (machine translation) 19

Language: English

19.1

Part Three of the Sixth Generation of Zen Master Xingsi of Mount Qingyuan in Jizhou: forty-two persons.
Dharma heirs of Zen Master Yicun of Mount Xuefeng in Fuzhou, Part Two: forty-two persons.
Zen Master Hongtao of Anguo in Fuzhou
Zen Master Guiben of Mount Yunggai in Xiangzhou
Upādhyāya Linquan of Shaozhou
Upādhyāya Nanyuan of Luojing
Zen Master Kexiu of Dongyan in Yuezhou
Zen Master Xingzhou of Fahai Cloister in Dingzhou
Zen Master Tong of Longjing in Hangzhou
Zen Master Congzhan of Baofu in Zhangzhou
Zen Master Daopu of Shuilong in Quanzhou
Zen Master Zongjing of Longxing Temple in Hangzhou
Zen Master Qifan of Nanchan in Fuzhou
Zen Master Shinai of Yueshan in Yuezhou
Zen Master Keguan of Jinlun on Nanyue
Zen Master Xuanne of Fuqing in Quanzhou
Zen Master Wenyan of Yunmen in Shaozhou
Zen Master Ren of Nantai in Quzhou
Upādhyāya Dongchan of Quanzhou
Zen Master Congxi of Mount Daqian in Yuhang
Upādhyāya Yongtai of Fuzhou
Zen Master Shoune of Mount Helong in Chizhou
Upādhyāya Mengbi of Jianzhou
Zen Master Yuanyan of Jile in Gutian, Fuzhou
Zen Master Ruti of Mount Furong in Fuzhou
Upādhyāya of Mount Qihe in Luojing
Zen Master Qi of Mount Gui in Tanzhou
Zen Master Yanzong of Mount Chao in Jizhou
Great Master Puming of Mount Putong in Yizhou
Zen Master Yong of Liangjia Hermitage, Shuangquan, in Tuozhou
Zen Master Chaowu of Baofu in Zhangzhou
Sthavira Fu of Taiyuan
Zen Master Weijin of Nanyue
(The above thirty-one persons appear in the record.)
Zen Master Shenchao of Shixiang in Taizhou
Zen Master Ne of Mount Lu in Jiangzhou
Zen Master Daewuwi of Silla
Zen Master Xuanhui of Luzhou
Upādhyāya Qingjing of Huzhou
Upādhyāya Xuefeng of Yong'an in Yizhou
Zen Master Deming of Luxian
Zen Master Huaizhong of Mingshui in Fuzhou
Zen Master Huaiguo of Yizhou
Zen Master Xingxiu of Erxiang in Hangzhou
Zen Master Ande of Mount Song
(The above eleven persons have no records of encounter dialogues and are not recorded.)

19.2

Part Three of the Sixth Generation of Zen Master Xingsi of Mount Qingyuan

19.3

Dharma Heirs of Zen Master Yicun of Mount Xuefeng in Fuzhou, Part Two

19.4

Master Mingzhen, Hongtao, of the Anguo Monastery in Fuzhou, was a native of Quanzhou, with the family name Chen. From his youth he renounced meat and made a vow to leave home. He first perfected the body of the precepts at Dongchan in Longhua Monastery. Then he went to Xuefeng. Xuefeng observed that he was young, outstanding, and worthy to be a vessel of the Dharma, so he guided him to enter with faith beyond measure into his original mind. He then traveled all around the Zen quarters, attained the samādhis of the various quarters, and returned to Xuefeng. Xuefeng asked, 'Where have you come from?' He replied, 'I have come from Jiangxi.' Xuefeng said, 'Where did you see Bodhidharma?' He replied, 'I have clearly said so to the upādhyāya.' Xuefeng said, 'What did you say?' He replied, 'Where have you been, and where have you come back from?' One day Xuefeng saw the master, suddenly grabbed hold of him, and said, 'The entire universe is a dharma-gate of liberation! Yet when I take them by the hand and teach them to enter, they refuse to enter.' The master said, 'The upādhyāya cannot blame Hongtao.' Xuefeng said, 'Though it is like that, what about the many monks behind you?' The master then cited the National Teacher's stele inscription, which says: 'Gaining it in the mind, the castor-oil plant becomes a sandalwood tree; losing it in the essential meaning, the sweet dew turns into a garden of caltrops.' He brought this up and asked a monk, 'A single phrase must contain both meanings of gain and loss. How do you express it?' The monk raised his fist and said, 'It must not be called a fist.' The master did not approve. He also raised his fist and said alternatively, 'Just because this is called a fist.' Having received an invitation, the master stayed at Qunshan, where robed disciples gathered in crowds. Later, the military commander of Min, admiring the master’s virtue in the Way, ordered him to reside at Anguo Temple to greatly expound the dark tradition. His followers numbered more than eight hundred. A monk asked, 'What is the meaning of the [Patriarch's] coming from the West?' The master said, 'It is just this, but do not misunderstand it.' He asked, 'What is the first sentence?' The master said, 'Ask, ask!' He asked, 'This student came up without having exhausted his dynamic potential. Please, Master, exhaust your dynamic potential.' The master remained silent for a good while. The monk bowed. The master said, 'If you suddenly go to another place and someone asks you, how will you bring this up?' The monk said, 'I would never dare to bring it up wrongly.' The master said, 'Before you have even stepped out the door, the laughingstock is already seen.' He asked, 'What is the mind transmitted by Bodhidharma?' The master said, 'From the start, it is not a later footstep.' He asked, 'What is the matter within the ancestral vehicle?' The master said, 'I cannot scatter the assembly on your account, elder brother.' He asked, 'Concerning the dynamic potential that does not fall into being or non-being, please, Master, speak of it completely.' The master said, 'Try cutting it off and see.' He asked, 'What is the matter on a single hair-tip?' The master picked up his kāṣāya robe. The monk said, 'I beg the master to give instruction.' The master said, 'Holding the uncut jade, there is no need to shed tears repeatedly; / Tomorrow morning, present it again for the King of Chu to see.' He asked, 'How is it when one is silent and without words?' The master said, 'Take a further step.' He asked, 'All words and phrases fall into causes, conditions, and skillful means. What is the matter that does not fall into causes, conditions, and skillful means?' The master said, 'Those who use a well sweep are often encountered; those who carry water in an earthen jar are rarely met.' He asked, 'The transcendental path is not transmitted by the thousand sages; I wonder how the upādhyāya transmits it?' The master said, 'For now, save your mouth for eating your meals.' He asked, 'What kind of person is one of noble detachment?' The master said, 'On the riverbank there is no elder washing his ears; at the Pan Stream there is no one dangling a fishing line.' He asked, 'Throughout the twelve periods of the day, how can one be saved from birth and death?' The master said, 'Holding your bowl, there is no need to gaze at the crowd's amusements; treading on ice, how can your steps be uneven?' He asked, 'This student intends to ask about the ancestral vehicle. Does the master still permit it or not?' The master said, 'Just ask.' The monk was about to ask, when the master shouted him out. He asked, 'How can one escape the birth and death right before our eyes?' The master said, 'Bring birth and death here!' He asked, 'Why can a person who knows there is "it" not speak of it?' The master said, 'What is your father's name?' He asked, 'What is the sword that brings people to life?' The master said, 'I dare not blind you.' The monk asked, 'What is the blade that kills people?' The master said, 'Just this is it.' He asked, 'Without clashing against the sharp point, how can one find an attuned ear?' The master said, 'Wait until the Year of the Donkey.' He asked, 'At the point of bitter harshness, I beg the master for a word.' The master said, 'One may deeply ponder.' The monk said, 'Why is it like this?' The master said, 'You also need to understand well.' He asked, 'Can a person who constantly abides in the correct position still be worthy of the offerings of humans and devas?' The master said, 'He cannot consume them.' The monk said, 'Why can he not consume them?' The master said, 'What kind of mental activity is that?' The monk asked, 'What kind of person can consume them?' The master said, 'One who wears clothes and eats food can consume them.' The master brought up: 'When Upādhyāya Leng was dwelling at Zhaoqing, he stood at the east corner of the Dharma Hall and said to a monk, "Right here is a good place to put a question." The monk then asked, "Why does the upādhyāya not abide in the correct position?" Leng said, "Because you have come like this." The monk said, "What about right now?" Leng said, "What use are your eyes?"' The master, having finished bringing this up, said, 'When that house asks like that, it is another principle. How would you speak now?' Later, [the master of] Anguo said, 'If it is like this, then the great assembly may disperse all at once.' The master also said in place of him: 'If it is like this, then the great assembly bows in homage all at once.'

19.5

Chan Master Guiben of Shuangquan Monastery on Mount Yunggai in Xiangzhou (also called West Shuangquan, because there was an East Shuangquan in Suizhou) was a native of Jingzhao Prefecture. He left home in his youth. At sixteen he received the precepts and recited the Lotus Sūtra. When he first paid homage to Xuefeng, Xuefeng stepped down from the meditation bed and sat astride his back. At this, the master attained awakening. A monk asked, 'What is Shuangquan [Two Springs]?' The master said, 'A pity for that pair of eyebrows!' The monk said, 'This student does not understand.' The master said, 'Without ever troubling the strength of Yu, / One knows nothing of torrential waters.' He asked, 'What is the exact meaning of the [Patriarch's] coming from the West?' The master grabbed hold of him. The monk changed color. The master said, 'I do not have that here.' The master's fingers were slender and long, markedly different from ordinary people, so he was called Great Master Hand-Characteristics.

19.6

Upādhyāya Linquan of Shaozhou (who previously resided at Mount Yan). A monk asked, 'What is dust?' The master said, 'Unawares, it forms hills and mountains.' The master visited Great Master Ciguang of Baiyun and took his leave. Baiyun escorted him to the gate, and supporting the master down the steps, said, 'Gently, do not stumble.' The master said, 'If I suddenly stumble, what then?' Baiyun said, 'Then there is no need to support you either.' The master laughed loudly and withdrew.

19.7

Upādhyāya Nanyuan of the Western Capital Luoyang. [A monk] asked, 'What is: "no dharma is born"?' The master said, 'They are born!' There was a Confucian scholar who had read widely in ancient and modern literature; people of the time called him Zhang Baihui [Master of a Hundred Understandings]. One day he came to visit the master. The master said, 'Could you be Zhang Baihui?' He said, 'I would not dare [claim so].' The master drew a line in the air with his hand and said, 'Do you understand?' He said, 'I do not understand.' The master said, 'You do not even understand one; where do you get a hundred understandings?'

19.8

Chan Master Kexiu of Dongyan in Yuezhou. A monk asked, 'Who is the true master of Dongyan?' The master said, 'Keep it open.' He asked, 'What is the upādhyāya's intimate way of helping people?' The master said, 'The great ocean does not harbor a corpse.' He asked, 'What is the transcendental path?' The master lifted his collar and showed it to him. He asked, 'This student has come from afar; please, Master, show me skillful means.' The master said, 'I have already shown skillful means.'

19.9

Chan Master Xingzhou of Fahai Monastery in Dingzhou. A monk asked, 'How is it when the wind is calm and the waves are still?' The master said, 'The south wall has blown down.' He asked, 'What is the treasure within the Way?' The master said, 'It does not reveal its light.' The monk said, 'Is this it or not?' The master said, 'If it is, it is revealed.'

19.10

Chan Master Tong of Longjing in Hangzhou. Sthavira Chuxi asked, 'What is the dragon of Longjing [Dragon Well]?' The master said, 'Its spirit is naturally distinct; / A divine brush cannot paint it.' The monk asked, 'Why can it not be painted?' The master said, 'Transcending the herd, it wears no horns; / It is not the same as its kind.' The monk asked, 'Can it also make rain?' The master said, 'Pervasively nourishing without bounds, / Everywhere it forms grain.' The monk said, 'Is there still a matter within the ancestral school?' The master said, 'There is.' The monk said, 'What is the matter within the ancestral school?' The master said, 'From the beginning, it has had no form or shape, / Yet in responding to things, it has never fallen short.' He asked, 'What is the hair-severing sword?' The master said, 'Drag out the dead corpse!'

19.11

Chan Master Congzhan of Baofu Monastery in Zhangzhou was a native of Fuzhou surnamed Chen. At age fifteen, he bowed to Xuefeng as his tonsure master. At eighteen, he received the full precepts at Dazhong Monastery in his home prefecture, and traveled through Wu and Chu. Later he returned to serve Xuefeng as his attendant. One day Xuefeng suddenly called out, saying, “Do you understand yet?” The Master started to step forward; Xuefeng held him back with his staff. The Master immediately knew where to return, made prostrations, and withdrew. He also frequently questioned Elder Changqing Leng on ancient and modern skillful means, and Leng deeply approved of him.

Once Elder Changqing Leng said, “Rather say an arhat has the three poisons than say the Tathāgata has two kinds of words. I do not say the Tathāgata has no words, only that he has no two kinds of words.”
The Master asked, “What are the Tathāgata's words?”
Leng replied, “How can a deaf person hear them?”
The Master said, “I knew full well you were speaking toward the secondary level, Venerable.”
Changqing then asked, “What are the Tathāgata's words?”
The Master said, “Go drink tea.” (Yunju Xi said, “Where was it that Changqing spoke toward the secondary level?”)

Because Panshan had said, “When light and realm both vanish, what is it again?” and Dongshan had said, “When light and realm have not yet vanished, what is it again?”, the Master said, “Based on these two venerables’ deliberations, it was not yet cut off cleanly.” He then asked Changqing, “Nowadays, how could it be said so as to cut it off cleanly?”
Changqing remained silent for a good while.
The Master said, “I knew full well that you, Venerable, make your living inside a mountain ghost’s cave.”
Changqing then asked, “How [would you say it]?”
The Master said, “Both hands holding the plow, the water over the knees.”

One day Changqing asked, “Seeing form, one immediately sees mind. Do you still see the boat?”
The Master said, “I see it.”
Leng said, “Setting the boat aside for now, what is the mind?”
The Master instead pointed to the boat. (Guizong Rou offered an alternative: “The Venerable only knows how to question others.”)

Xuefeng said to the assembly, “Sthaviras, when reaching Wangzhou Pavilion, I met with you sthaviras. When reaching Wushi Ridge, I met with you sthaviras. When reaching the front of the Sangha hall, I met with you sthaviras.”
The Master cited this and asked Ehu, “Meeting before the Sangha hall is set aside for now; as for Wangzhou Pavilion and Wushi Ridge, where was the meeting?”
Ehu strode quickly into the abbot's quarters. The Master returned to the Sangha hall. (Dongshan Qi said, “Did these two venerable elders meet at their point of understanding or not? Try to judge it.”)

In the fourth year of Zhenming of the Liang dynasty (a Dingchou year), the prefect of Zhangzhou, Lord Wang, revering his reputation in the Way, founded the Baofu Chan Cloister and invited him to dwell there. On the day of opening the hall, Lord Wang knelt and requested three times, personally supporting him as he ascended the hall.
The Master said, “Why must you make such a laughing matter? Yet even so, having been urged again and again, there is no way to decline. Worthy people, do you recognise it? If you recognise it, you will stand shoulder to shoulder with the ancient Buddhas.”
At that time a monk came forward and was just bowing. The Master said, “Refusing to go when the sky is clear and dry, you have to wait until rain pours over your head!”
The monk then stepped forward with a question, saying, “The governor has erected a monastery and broadly proclaimed the true tradition; we invite the upādhyāya to raise and propagate the宗 religion.”
The Master said, “Do you understand?”
The monk said, “If so, then all sentient beings may rely upon it.”
The Master said, “Better not smear others with such filth.”

Another monk came out and bowed. The Master said, “It was good for you to be thus, Great Virtuous; do not capsize the boat.”

[A monk] asked, “When taking silence and stillness, what is taken as the rule?”
The Master said, “Where does it fall?”
The monk said, “I do not understand.”
The Master said, “Get out, you sleepy fellow!”

Seeing a monk, the Master struck the open pillar with his staff, and then struck the monk's head. The monk cried out in pain. The Master said, “Why does that one not feel pain?” The monk had no reply. (Xuanjue offered an alternative: “Coveting the stroke of the staff.”)

[A monk] asked, “When Moteng entered the Han dynasty, the whole canon became distinct and clear. What did Bodhidharma point to when he came from the West?”
The Master said, “What about your wandering practice, sthavira?”
The monk said, “I do not understand.”
The Master said, “If you do not understand, you had better understand it! Do not go around accepting instructions from others. If you have been in the monasteries long enough to vaguely understand near and far, you can follow your true nature anywhere. But if beginners and later students do not yet know the order of things, this mountain monk does not spare his mouth’s karma: I tell you that matters of dust-eons are right here now. Do you understand? Moreover, the Buddha-dharma was entrusted to kings, great ministers, and prefects; having shared the Buddha's assembly in the past, they are like this today. Setting aside good fortune and honors, as for the matter entrusted by the Buddha at that time, do you still remember it? If you recognise it, you stand shoulder to shoulder with the thousand sages. If not yet recognised, you must genuinely and firmly believe. This matter is not obtained from others, nor is it oneself having many words. The more words, the further from the Way. Even if you say ‘the path of words is cut off, the place of mental activity extinguished,’ that is still not it. You have been standing long. Take care.”

Another day, when he ascended the hall and the great assembly gathered like clouds, the Master said, “When someone walks past the back of the Buddha hall, he sees Zhang the Third and Li the Fourth. When he walks past the front of the Buddha hall, why does he not see them? Tell me, where does the crucial point of the Buddha-dharma lie?”
A monk said, “Because there is a portion of coarse objects, he does not see.”
The Master scolded him, and spoke in his place: “If it is the Buddha hall, then it is not seen.”
The monk said, “If it is not the Buddha hall, can it still be seen?”
The Master said, “If it is not the Buddha hall, what is seen?”

[A monk] asked, “Throughout the twelve divisions of the day, how does one find verification?”
The Master said, “Right then is just the verification.”
The monk asked, “Why does the student not see it?”
The Master said, “One cannot knead one’s eyes even further.”

[A monk] asked, “Host and guest are layer upon layer, singing together throughout the ten directions. What is singing together throughout the ten directions?”
The Master said, “Why don't you have someone else ask?”

[A monk] asked, “When meaning is discerned through words, how is it?”
The Master said, “Through what words?”
The monk lowered his head for a good while.
The Master said, “At the lightning-flash juncture, waiting and thinking in vain.”

[A monk] asked, “Wishing to enter the sea of the unconditioned, one must board the boat of prajñā. What is the boat of prajñā?”
The Master said, “Please proceed.”
The monk said, “When one enters directly like this, how is it?”
The Master said, “Just another fellow in the Nirvāṇa Hall.”

Seeing a monk eating, the Master held up his bowl and said, “Everyday fare.”
The monk said, “What kind of intention does the upādhyāya have?”

A nun came to visit. The Master asked, “Who is it?”
The attendant reported, “Nun Jue.”
The Master said, “Since you are Nun Jue (‘Awakening’), what is the use of coming?”
The nun said, “Within the Way of benevolence and righteousness, it is certainly not lacking.”
The Master gave an alternative for her: “What kind of intention does the upādhyāya have?” (Xuanjue cited: “When Fayan saw a monk carrying earth, he placed a clod of earth on the carrying pole and said, ‘I am helping you.’ The monk said, ‘Thank you for your compassion, Upādhyāya.’ Fayan did not accept it. Another monk gave an alternative: ‘What kind of intention does the upādhyāya have?’ Fayan then dropped it. Xuanjue asked, ‘These three sayings are of one kind, or is there another principle? Where is the locus of intention?’ ”)

The commander of Min sent an envoy to deliver an official cinnabar seal. The Master ascended the hall and said, “If you leave, it seals you in; if you stay, it shatters the seal.”
A monk said, “Neither leaving nor staying, what is the use of using the seal?”
The Master struck him.
The monk said, “If so, then the mountain ghost’s cave is entirely due to today.”
The Master remained silent. (Xuanjue said, “Where is the mountain ghost’s cave? The monasteries say that dwelling in the place of neither leaving nor staying is the mountain ghost’s cave, which is why it is shattered. Deliberating like this is truly the ghost’s cave. Now tell me: what was Baofu’s intention in striking him?”)

The Master asked a monk, “Where do you come from?”
The monk said, “Jiangxi.”
The Master said, “What about what you have learned?”
The monk said, “I cannot bring it out.”
The Master said, “How is it?” (Fayan gave an alternative: “Deceitful words.”)
The monk had no reply.

The Master cited Dongshan's portrait eulogy: “Vainly gazing at paper and ink, this is not the person in the mountains.”
A monk asked, “Who is the person in the mountains?”
The Master said, “Try to sketch him.”
The monk said, “If not a clever fellow, one could hardly sketch him.”
The Master said, “You are a clever fellow.”
The monk said, “What kind of intention does the upādhyāya have?”
The Master said, “The words that came were not abundant.”

Seeing a monk counting coins, the Master held out his hand and said, “Beg me a coin.”
The monk said, “Why has the upādhyāya arrived at such a stage?”
The Master said, “I have arrived at such a stage.”
The monk said, “If you have arrived at such a stage, take one coin and go.”
The Master said, “Why have you arrived at such a stage?”

The Master asked a monk, “Where do you come from?”
The monk said, “Guanyin [Monastery] in Jiangxi.”
The Master said, “Do you still see Guanyin?”
The monk said, “I see him.”
The Master said, “Do you see him on the left or on the right?”
The monk said, “When seeing, it does not involve left or right.” (Fayan gave an alternative: “As the upādhyāya sees.”)

[A monk] asked, “What is entering fire without being burned and entering water without being drowned?”
The Master said, “If it is water and fire, one is burned and drowned.”

The Master asked the cook, “How wide is the cauldron?”
The cook said, “Let the upādhyāya try to measure it.”
The Master gestured with his hands as if measuring.
The cook said, “Do not deceive me, Upādhyāya.”
The Master said, “Rather, it is you who deceive me.”

[A monk] asked, “Wishing to reach the path of the unborn, one should recognise the original source. What is the original source?”
The Master remained silent for a good while, then asked the attendant, “What did the monk ask just now?”
The monk repeated his question. The Master then shouted him out, saying, “I do not suffer from deafness.”

[A monk] asked, “The student has newly entered the monastery; I beg the master to completely show the entrance path.”
The Master said, “If I were to completely show it, I would have to bow to you instead.”

The Master saw a monk and said, “What karma did you create to become so tall and big?”
The monk said, “How much shorter are you, Upādhyāya?”
The Master squatted down to make himself short.
The monk said, “Better not deceive people, Upādhyāya.”
The Master said, “Rather, it is you who deceive me.”

The Master ordered his attendant to invite Elder Longshou, saying, “Just come alone; do not bring your attendant.”
Shou said, “If not permitted to bring him, how could I part from him?”
The Master said, “An excess of affection.”
Shou had no reply. The Master gave an alternative for him: “Further thanks to the upādhyāya’s senior disciple for delivering the message.”

The Master resided at Baofu for barely twelve years, and his students never numbered fewer than seven hundred. His interactions with faculties and aiding of beings cannot be fully recorded. The military governor of Min deeply respected him and petitioned to grant him an official robe. In the third year of Tiancheng of the Tang dynasty (a Wuzi year), he manifested a slight illness. A monk entered the abbot's quarters to inquire after his health. The Master said to him, “You and I have known each other for many years; what art or remedy do you have to save me?”
The monk said, “I have plenty of remedies, but I hear that the upādhyāya does not know how to abstain from harmful foods.” (Fadeng gave an alternative: “Does the upādhyāya know how to abstain from harmful foods?”)

He also said to the assembly, “Over the past ten days, my strength has been weary and weak; there is nothing else, only that the time has come.”
A monk asked, “Since the time has come, is the master's going right, or is his staying right?”
The Master said, “Speak!”
The monk said, “If so, then I dare not act rashly.”
The Master said, “Losing money and incurring blame.”
Having spoken, he crossed his legs and announced his passing; it was the twenty-first day of the third month.

19.12

Chan Master Daopu of Mount Shuilong in Quanzhou, known by the title Great Master Hongjiao, was a native of Futang in Fuzhou surnamed Zheng. He was tonsured at Baolin Monastery. Having received the mind-seal from Xuefeng, he resided at Wufeng. Ascending the hall, he said, “Do not say there is no reception in the empty mountain,” and thereupon returned to the abbot's quarters.

A monk asked, “All words and phrases do not exceed the crown of the great chiliocosm. I do not know, what is the matter beyond the crown?”
The Master said, “All words and phrases are not the crown of the great chiliocosm.”
The monk asked, “What is the crown of the great chiliocosm?”
The Master said, “The heaven of Maheśvara is still a small chiliocosm realm.”

[A monk] asked, “As a beginner and later student who has newly entered the monastery, I beg the master for instruction within the gate of skillful means.”
The Master knocked on the doorframe.
The monk asked, “Is there still a transcendental matter?”
The Master said, “There is.”
The monk asked, “What is the transcendental matter?”
The Master knocked on the doorframe again.

19.13

Chan Master Zongjing of Longxing [Monastery] in Hangzhou was a native of Taizhou. When he first visited Xuefeng, he secretly received the seal of the school. He then vowed to serve as the cook (fantou), toiling in hard labor for over ten years. Once, in the assembly hall, he bared one shoulder while nailing up a curtain. Xuefeng saw this and made a prophecy, saying, 'In the future, when you preside [over a monastery], you will have a thousand monks, but among them there will not be a single true patch-robed monk.' The master repented his fault, took his leave, and returned to his home region, where he resided at Liutong Cloister. King Qian ordered him to reside at Longxing Monastery. He had an assembly of over a thousand, but they were solely followers who lectured on and recited the three learnings; it turned out just as Xuefeng had foretold. At the beginning of the Guangshun era of the Zhou dynasty, at the age of eighty-one, King Qian invited him to expound the unsurpassed vehicle in the monastery's Great Hall. Monastics and laypeople crowded around. A monk asked, 'What is the extraordinary chant of Liutong?' The master said, 'The whole world cites it.' [The monk] asked, 'What is the house style of Liutong?' The master said, 'A single patch-robed robe weighs over a catty.' A monk asked, 'What is the path for a student to step forward?' The master said, 'Who would dare deceive you?' [The monk] said, 'Is there really no skillful means?' The master said, 'Already an injustice has been done.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the upādhyāya's house style?' The master said, 'Porridge for breakfast, rice at midday.' [The monk] said, 'I ask the upādhyāya to speak further.' The master said, 'This old monk is tired.' [The monk] said, 'In the end, how is it?' The master simply laughed heartily. King Qian treated him with special reverence and repeatedly invited him to the palace. Because he had first resided at [Liutong] Cloister, [the King] bestowed on him the title Great Master Liutong. In the last month of winter in the first year of the Xiande era, a jia-yin year, he manifested cessation at the age of eighty-four. His stupa was erected at Mount Daci.

19.14

Chan Master Qifan of Nanshan [Monastery] in Fuzhou ascended the hall and said, 'If it is famous words and wondrous phrases, the various quarters have already said them all. Today, in this assembly, is there anyone who transcends the primary meaning and can offer a single phrase? If there is, then one does not fail others.' At that time, a monk asked, 'What is the primary meaning?' The master said, 'Why don't you ask about the primary meaning?' [The monk] said, 'I am asking right now.' The master said, '[You have] already fallen into the secondary meaning.' [A monk] asked, 'The tune of the ancient Buddhas—please, Master, join in harmony with it.' The master said, 'I do not harmonize with your confused mess.' [The monk] said, 'I do not know: for what kind of person would you harmonize?' The master said, 'Where did you go and come from?'

19.15

Chan Master Shinao, titled Jianzhen, of Mount Yue in Zhuji County, Yuezhou, first visited Xuefeng and dipped his fingers [into the Dharma]. Later, when invited by the King of Min to a vegetarian feast at the Qingfeng Pavilion, he sat for a long time. Raising his eyes, he suddenly saw the sunlight and was instantly and completely enlightened. He composed a verse:

19.16

"Attending an official feast atop Qingfeng Pavilion, / On this day, the eyes of my lifetime opened wide. / Only now do I know that ancient affair of the Putong era / Was not brought along the road from the Onion Ranges."

19.17

He returned and presented it to Xuefeng, who approved it. A monk asked, 'What is the Buddha-body?' The master said, 'Which Buddha-body are you asking about?' [The monk] said, 'The body of Śākyamuni Buddha.' The master said, 'His tongue covers the three-thousandfold world.' When the master was nearing the end of his life, he gathered the assembly and gave a verse:

19.18

"The eye's light is exhausted along with forms; / Ear-consciousness fades following sounds. / Returning to the source has no other purport: / Just this day and tomorrow morning."

19.19

Having finished the verse, he sat cross-legged and passed away.

19.20

Chan Master Keguan of Jinlun on Mount Nanyue was a native of Futang in Fuzhou. His family name was Su. He shaved his head under Chan Master Qihe of Shifo Temple, and after receiving full ordination, he visited Xuefeng. Xuefeng said, 'Come forward.' Just as the master came forward to pay homage, Xuefeng raised his foot and kicked him. The master was suddenly in dark accord. He served Xuefeng for twelve years. Later, he traveled through the monastic groves and settled at Falong Peak on Mount Nanyue. The master ascended the hall and addressed the assembly, saying, 'When I was at Xuefeng, I took a kick from him, and straight down to the present day my eyes have not opened. I do not know what realm this is.' A monk asked, 'What is the meaning of [Bodhidharma's] coming from the West?' The master said, 'It is not.' After the evening instruction, when the assembly was stepping down from the hall, the master called out, 'Assembly!' The assembly turned their heads. The master said, 'Look at the moon.' The assembly looked at the moon. The master said, 'The moon is like a curved bow: little rain, much wind.' The assembly had no reply. A monk asked, 'An ancient said, "Vairocana has a teacher; the Dharmakāya has a master." What is the teacher of Vairocana and the master of the Dharmakāya?' The master said, 'One must not place a bed on top of a bed.' [A monk] asked, 'What is daily practice?' The master clapped his hands three times. The monk said, 'I have not grasped this meaning.' The master said, 'What more are you waiting for?' [A monk] asked, 'How does the vehicle of the ancestral school instruct people?' The master said, 'I have not had tea today.' [The monk] said, 'Please instruct me, Master.' The master said, 'It has passed.' [A monk] asked, 'I do not ask about the direct; please point from the side, Master.' The master said, 'Take up the cat and go.' The master asked a monk, 'Where have you come from?' [The monk] said, 'Huaguang.' The master immediately pushed him out and shut the door. The monk had no reply. A monk asked, 'When meeting a person who has attained the Way on the road, one does not encounter them with speech or silence; I wonder, with what should one encounter them?' The master said, 'Bah! Get out!' The master asked a monk, 'What is the face-to-face matter?' [The monk] said, 'Please examine it, Master.' The master said, 'Is saying it like this really appropriate?' [The monk] said, 'Doing it intentionally would be wrong.' The master said, 'That is another move.' A monk asked, 'What is the single path to the spiritual source?' The master said, 'Why tread over it?' The director of Xuefeng's cloister sent a letter inviting the master, saying, 'The venerable master of the mountain is advanced in years; elder, why not re-enter the ranges once more?' The master replied in a letter, saying, 'When the venerable master of the mountain has a different view, then I shall enter the ranges.' A monk asked, 'What is Xuefeng's view?' The master said, 'Even I am startled.'

19.21

Chan Master Xuannai of Fuqing Cloister in Quanzhou was a native of Goryeo. When he first resided at the Fuqing bodhimanda, he transmitted the lamp of Xianggu (Xuefeng). Students turned to him in devotion. The prefect of Quanzhou, Lord Wang, asked, 'What is the matter within the ancestral vehicle?' The master shouted at him. A monk asked, 'What is bodhi right before the eyes?' The master said, 'Ācārya, you have lost half a year's provisions.' [The monk] said, 'Why have I lost half a year's provisions?' The master said, 'Just because you were scheming for a dou of his rice.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the pure Dharmakāya?' The master said, 'Toads and earthworms.' [A monk] asked, 'The teaching says, "There is only one firm and solid body, manifesting in all dust-motes." What is the firm and solid body?' The master said, 'Donkeys, horses, and cats.' [The monk] said, 'I beg the master to instruct me.' The master said, 'You do not even understand donkeys and horses.' [A monk] asked, 'What is distinguishing clearly upon each and every thing?' The master extended one foot and showed it to him. The master resided at Fuqing for thirty years, greatly propagating the profound style, and passed away at his home mountain.

19.22

Chan Master Wenyan of Mount Yunmen in Shaozhou was a native of Jiaxing in Gusu, with the surname Zhang. He first trained under the Venerable Chen of Muzhou, clarifying the great import. Later he approached Xuefeng, further augmenting the dark essentials. Concealing his capacity, he mingled with the assembly, serving as the head seat in the dharma hall of Chan Master Min of Lingshu in Shaozhou. When Min was about to enter extinction, he left a letter to the Governor of Guang[zhou], requesting that [Wenyan] succeed him as abbot. The Master did not forget his roots, considering Xuefeng his teacher. On the day the hall was opened, the Governor arrived in person and said, "Your disciple requests instruction." The Master said, "Before your eyes there is no different path." (Fayan said as an alternative: "One must not fail to benefit people.")

The Master said: "Do not say I am deceiving you today; I simply cannot hold back. I have already told you that this place is a total mess. If a person with clear eyes happens to see it, they will call it a laughingstock. Now, one cannot avoid it either. Let me ask you all: from antiquity onwards, what matter is there? What is lacking? If I tell you there is nothing the matter, that is also deceiving you. You must actually reach this ground before you can know. Do not just chatter away asking questions at random with pitch darkness inside your own mind; in the days to come, there will be serious matters indeed. If your faculties are slow and hesitant, look toward the ancient masters' established teachings, looking east and west to see what principle this is! Do you wish to understand? It is entirely because your own delusive thoughts over immeasurable kalpas are dense and thick. The moment you hear someone mention it, doubt arises; you ask about buddhas and ask about patriarchs, seeking understanding above and below, getting further and further disconnected. Intentional thinking is already error, how much more so with words? Could it be that having no intentional thoughts is it? What else is there? Take care!"

The Master entered the hall and said: "Out of helplessness, I tell you all that directly here, there is nothing the matter—already this is burying you alive. If you all still intend to take a step forward, pursuing words and chasing phrases to seek understanding, devising thousands of distinctions and countless contrivances to set up interrogations, you merely gain a slippery tongue, getting farther from the Way. When will there be rest? If this matter lay in words, does the twelve-division canon of the three vehicles lack words? Why would one speak of a separate transmission outside the teachings? If it could be attained through learned understanding and intellectual cunning, why were the holy ones of the tenth stage, preaching the Dharma like clouds and rain, still rebuked because their seeing of nature was as if veiled by thin silk? From this we know that between all minds with conceptual intent and [the Way], heaven and earth are vastly separated. Although it is like this, if someone has attained it, they say fire cannot burn them; though they speak of things all day long, it has never brushed past their lips and teeth, nor have they ever uttered a single word; though they wear clothes and eat food all day long, they have never touched a single grain of rice or hung a single thread of thread. Although it is like this, this is still talk within the courtyard. One must truly attain it in this way before it counts. If judged by the standards of the patch-robed monk, revealing one's function within a phrase is a wasted effort of contemplation; even if one takes charge under a single phrase, one is still a sleepyhead."

The Master said: "The twelve-division canon of the three vehicles preaches across and preaches up; old monks throughout the land speak this way and that in every direction. Show me a principle spoken fine as the point of a needle! Speaking like this is trying to cure a dead horse. Although it is like this, just how many have reached this realm? I dare not expect you to have reverberation in your words, edges concealed within phrases, a thousand distinctions at a blink of the eye, or wind calmed and waves stilled. Humbly I offer this: take care!"

The Master entered the hall and said: "Brothers! You have all traveled in every quarter seeking spiritual friends to resolve life and death. Wherever you go, how could there be an absence of the compassionate, skillful words of venerable elders? Are there still phrases you cannot penetrate? Come forward and raise them! The old fellow will deliberate them together with you." At that time, a monk came forward, bowed, and was about to bring up a question, when the Master said: "Away, away! The road to the Western Heaven is more than a hundred thousand li distant!"

A monk asked: "What is the student assembly crowded together deliberating?" The Master said: "The assembly has stood for a long time." The Master said: "Raising a single phrase to have you take charge directly is already pissing on your head. Even if one twirls the tip of a fine hair and the entire great earth is simultaneously illuminated, it is still like gouging into healthy flesh to make a wound. Although it is like this, you must genuinely reach this ground before you can know. If you have not yet, you must never lay claim to empty space; instead, you must step back and investigate beneath your own heels to see what principle this is! Truly, not the slightest thread or hair is provided for you to form an understanding or entertain doubts. Each and every one of you has your own matter, its great function manifesting right before you, requiring not the slightest ounce of effort on your part; it is no different from the patriarchs and buddhas. It is just that your roots of faith are shallow, and your bad karma is dense, so that you suddenly sprout so many horns, shouldering your almsbowl and travel pack across thousands of villages and tens of thousands of miles, taking on grief. And what do you lack? For a great hero, who has no share? Even directly grasping it upon sight is still not getting it right; you must not suffer people's deceit or accept their orders. The moment you see an old monk move his mouth, you should immediately plug it with a rock; like blowflies over dung, you vie to snap it up, three or five putting their heads together in discussion. What bitter grief! Brothers, those ancients acted out of helplessness for your sakes; therefore, through skillful means, they let drop half a phrase to open an entry path for you. Put these matters aside, muster a bit of your own sinew and bone—would there not be a slight intimacy then? Be swift! Be swift! Time waits for no one; the out-breath does not guarantee the in-breath. What other idle use is there for mind and body? You must be attentive! Take care!"

The Master said: "Taking the entire cosmos all at once and putting it on your eyelashes—hearing this said, I dare not expect you to come forth fiercely and give this old fellow a slap; just look slowly and carefully: is it there or not? What kind of principle is it? Even if you illuminate it here, if you encounter the patch-robed monks' school, your two legs ought to be broken. If you are a real person, the moment you hear of some old master appearing in the world, you should spit right in his face, saying, 'You defile my ears and eyes!' If you lack such capability, the moment you hear someone cite something and take it upon yourself, you have already fallen into the secondary mode. Look: the moment Master Deshan saw a monk come up, he raised his staff to strike and drive him away; the moment Master Muzhou saw someone enter the door, he said, 'I'll spare you thirty blows for now,' or sometimes, 'It is an accomplished public case!' What should the rest of the lot do? If you are just ordinary pretenders, swallowing others' spittle and remembering a whole heap, toting a load of curiosities to show off everywhere, bragging with donkey lips and horse mouths, 'I know how to ask five or ten rounds of questions'—even if you ask from morning to night for kalpas, have you ever even dreamed of it? Where is there any real effort given to people? For people like this, when invited to a monk's vegetarian meal, they also say, 'I got some rice to eat.' Are they fit to speak with? On a future day before King Yama, he won't accept your clever explanations! Brothers, if one is a person who has attained, they stay among the assembly passing the days; if you have not attained, do not take it lightly or pass the time in vain. You must be extremely careful. The ancients had plenty of tangled vine-talk to help you. For instance, Master Xuefeng said: 'The entire great earth is you.' Jiashan said: 'Recognize the old monk at the tip of the hundred grasses; discern the Son of Heaven at the market gate.' Lepu said: 'As soon as a dust mote is raised, the great earth is completely gathered in; a single hair of the lion is the entire body.' All of these you should take up, turn over, and contemplate; after long days and years, an entry path will naturally appear. In this matter, no one can substitute for you; it is entirely within each person's own allotment. An old monk's appearing in the world is merely to bear witness for you. If you have the slightest basis, one cannot obscure you; if you truly have not attained it, skillful means to deflect you cannot be used. Brothers, equally having worn out straw sandals, having cast aside masters and parents to go on pilgrimage, you must summon some spirit before you succeed! Truly, if there is an entry point, when you encounter a capable person who bites pigs and dogs, who does not begrudge life and enters mud and water to help you, there is something to chew on. Pin up your eyebrows, hang up your almsbowl high, snap your staff, and resolve to see it through for ten or twenty years; do not worry that it will not be accomplished. Even if you do not see it through in this life, in the next life you will not lose a human body. In this gate, it is effortless; you will not have lived this life in vain, nor will you fail your masters, parents, and the donors of the ten directions. You must pay attention! Do not wander emptily through prefectures and hunt through counties, carrying your staff horizontally and rushing about for one or two thousand li, spending winter over here and summer over there, indulging yourself because the scenery is pleasant, easily obtaining robes and bowls because offerings are abundant. How bitter and tragic! Seeking a single grain of his rice, you lose half a year's provisions! What benefit is there in such pilgrimage? How can you digest the vegetables and grains of faithful donors? You must look into yourself! Time waits for no one. Suddenly one day the light of your eyes falls to the ground; when that comes before you, what will you resist it with? Do not be like a crab dropped in boiling water, flailing your limbs in confusion, with nowhere to pretend or talk big. Do not pass the time idly in vain. Once the human body is lost, it cannot be recovered for ten thousand kalpas; it is no small matter. Do not just cling to the present moment. The ancients said, 'If in the morning one hears the Way, in the evening one may die content.' How much more so for us śramaṇas—what matter should we be treading day and night? You must make great effort! Make effort! Take care!"

The Master said: "You are utterly helpless. Seeing someone speak of the ancestral intent, you ask about speech that transcends the buddhas and patriarchs. Just tell me, what do you call a buddha, and what do you call a patriarch? Speak a principle that transcends buddhas and patriarchs! You ask about leaving the three realms—bring the three realms here for me to see! What perception, hearing, awareness, or knowing obstructs you? What sound or form is there for you to be lucid about? What bowl is that? What do you consider a discriminatory view? The ancient sages, out of helplessness, gave themselves up for living beings and said, 'The entire body is wholly real; phenomenal things in their very manifestation cannot be grasped.' If I tell you that directly there is nothing the matter, already this is burying you alive. If you truly have no entry point, then investigate secretly on your own: apart from putting on clothes, eating food, defecating, and urinating, what other matter is there? Why needlessly generate so much delusive thinking? There is also another sort, as if casually, who gather together to learn the conversational style of the ancients, using their intellectual consciousness to remember and their delusive thoughts to calculate, saying, 'I understand the Buddhadharma!' They merely talk entangled vines, indulging themselves to pass the time; what is more, they complain when things do not suit them. Traveling thousands of villages and tens of thousands of miles, casting aside their aging fathers and mothers, their masters and monks—acting like this, what urgent matter of life and death sent such wild baldies on pilgrimage?"

The Master entered the hall and said: "Therefore we know that the fortune of the times is degenerate and shallow, reaching the final Semblance age. Recently, monks go north to pay homage to Mañjuśrī and go south to tour Mount Heng. If they go on pilgrimage like this, they are nominal bhikṣus who consume the faithful's alms in vain. How bitter! How bitter! When questioned, they are dark as lacquer; they merely indulge themselves to pass the time. Even if there are two or three who uselessly study much learning and memorize lines of talk, seeking similar words everywhere to get the seal of approval from old masters, they look down upon their superiors and create karma of depleted blessings and virtue. On a future day when King Yama nails you down, do not say no one spoke to you! If you are a beginner or a later student, you must gather your energy and not memorize what others say in vain. Much sentiment and falsehood is not as good as a little reality; afterward, you will only have cheated yourself. If you have any matter, step forward!"

The Master entered the hall, and the great assembly gathered like clouds. The Master pointed his staff before them and said: "The cosmos, the great earth, and the fine-dust buddhas are all inside here, contending over the Buddhadharma, each seeking victory or defeat. Is there anyone who can arbitrate? If no one can arbitrate, wait for this old fellow to arbitrate for you!" At that time, a monk stepped forward and said: "Then please, Upādhyāya, arbitrate!" The Master said: "This wild fox spirit!"

The Master said: "All of you go about on pilgrimage, coming from south of the River or north of the Sea, each having the place of your birth and conditions. Do you know where that place is? Try coming forward to present it; the old fellow will bear witness for you. Is there anyone? Is there anyone? Come forward! If you do not know, the old fellow will deceive you. If you wish to know: if the conditions of your birth are in the north, in the north there is Upādhyāya Zhaozhou, and on Mount Wutai there is Mañjuśrī—all are right here. If the conditions of your birth are in the south, in the south there is Xuefeng, Wolong, Xitang, and Gushan—all are right here. Do you wish to know them? If you wish to know them, recognize them right here! If you do not see, do not pretend either. Do you see? Do you see? Watch as this old monk rides the Buddha hall out! Take care!"

The Master entered the hall and said: "Bodhisattva Vasubandhu for no reason transformed into a staff of mountain-peach wood." Then, drawing a line on the ground, he said: "The buddhas as numerous as sands of dust all engage in vine-tangle talk right here." Then he stepped down from the hall.

The Master said: "I see that you cannot catch on within two or three moves; what benefit is there in wearing the patch-robed garment in vain? Do you understand? I will explain it thoroughly for you: in the future, if you see an old master in any quarter raise a finger or erect a whisk, saying, 'This is Chan, this is the Way,' grab his staff, break his head, and walk away! If you do not do so, you are entirely belonging to the retinue of the heavenly māras, destroying our school! If you do not understand, then look inside the society of tangled vines. I usually tell you: the fine-dust lands, the buddhas of the three periods, the twenty-eight patriarchs of India, and the six patriarchs of the Tang land all preach the Dharma on the tip of the staff, their spiritual penetrations and transformations resounding through the ten directions, freely active in every way. Do you understand? If you do not understand, do not pretend! However, even if based on fact, is it truly seen clearly? Even if you reach this ground, you have not yet dreamed of the patch-robed monk. A śrāmaṇera in a three-house village encounters no one." The Master suddenly rose, drew a line on the ground with his staff, and said: "All are right here." He drew another line and said: "All go out from right here! Take care!"

The Master entered the hall and said: "Venerable ones! A patch-robed monk must clarify a patch-robed monk's nostrils. Now, what is a patch-robed monk's nostrils?" The assembly had no reply. The Master said: "Mahāprajñāpāramitā! General work duty—down you go!"

The Master entered the hall and said: "Venerable ones! Even if you say there is nothing the matter, it is still adding a head on top of a head, adding frost onto snow, staring with eyes wide open inside a coffin, applying moxa over a cauterized scar. This mess is no small matter. What should you do? Each of you should find a place to settle your life; do not wander emptily through prefectures and hunt through counties, merely wishing to seize idle talk, waiting for the old master to move his mouth, then asking about Chan, asking about the Way, how is the transcendental, how is the worldly, transcribing large scrolls to stuff into your leather bag and speculate over. Everywhere by the hearth, three or five gather their heads together, muttering and raising questions, saying: 'This is an expression of public talent; this is an expression spoken from within; this is an expression spoken according to phenomena; this is the expression of essence.' Essence your aging father and mother at home! Having gulped down your rice, you just talk dreams and say, 'I understand the Buddhadharma!' When in the Year of the Donkey will your pilgrimage find rest? There is also another sort: the moment they hear of a resting place, they close their brows and shut their eyes in the realm of the aggregates, making a living in a rat's hole, sitting under the dark mountain in the ghost realm, and speculating, they say they have found an entry path. Have they dreamed of it? For those like this, even if ten thousand were killed, what sin would there be? They are called blind beaters; not having met a master of the craft, in the end they are merely pretenders. If you truly have a perspective, try presenting it so I can deliberate with you. Do not blindly ignore good and bad, stubbornly putting your heads together to speak idle vine-tangles! Do not let this old fellow catch you, interrogate you, and finding you inadequate, break your legs! Do not say I did not warn you! Do you still have blood under your skin?" Using his staff, he drove them all down at once.

A monk asked: "What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?" The Master said: "When spring comes, the grass turns green by itself."

The Master asked a monk from Silla: "With what thing did you cross the sea?" The monk said: "The grass bandits are defeated." The Master extended his hand and said: "Why are you here in my place?" The monk said: "Just so." The Master said: "Jump again!"

A monk asked: "How was it before Niutou met the Fourth Patriarch?" The Master said: "Every household has Avalokiteśvara." The monk said: "How was it after he met him?" The Master said: "In the fire, a midge swallows a tiger."

A monk asked: "What is Yunmen's single phrase?" The Master said: "The twenty-fifth of the twelfth month."

A monk asked: "What is the mud ox bellowing on the snowy peak?" The Master said: "Heaven and earth are dark." The monk said: "What is Yunmen's wooden horse neighing?" The Master said: "Mountains and rivers flee."

A monk asked: "Regarding the matter from antiquity onwards, please, Master, present the essentials." The Master said: "In the morning, look southeast; in the evening, look northwest." The monk said: "What about when one understands it just so?" The Master said: "Lighting a lamp in the eastern room; sitting in the dark in the western room."

A monk asked: "Throughout the twelve periods of the day, how can one avoid passing the time in vain?" The Master said: "Where do you place this question?" The monk said: "The student does not understand; please, Master, cite it." The Master said: "Bring the brush and inkstone." The monk then brought the brush and inkstone. The Master composed a verse:

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景德傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese