景德傳燈錄 21
English (machine translation) 21
- Language
- English
21.1
The Seventh Generation of Chan Master Xingsi of Mount Qingyuan in Ji Prefecture, Part One
Thirteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shibei of Xuansha in Fu Prefecture:
Chan Master Guichen of Luohan Monastery in Zhang Prefecture
Chan Master Huiqiu of Anguo in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Chongji of Tianlong in Hangzhou
Chan Master Qifu of Xianzong in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Tao of Guotai in Wu Prefecture
Chan Master Cheng of Nantai on Mount Heng
Chan Master Daoxi of Bailong in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Chong'ao of Luofeng in Fu Prefecture
Upādhyāya of Mount Shuilong in Quan Prefecture
Chan Master Guangxu of Yunfeng on Mount Tiantai
Hermitage Master Qiru of Mount Dazhang in Fu Prefecture
Upādhyāya Lu of Yongxing in Fu Prefecture
Sthavira Shijing of Guoqing on Mount Tiantai
(The above thirteen persons appear in the records.)
Twenty-six Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huileng of Changqing in Fu Prefecture:
Chan Master Daokuang of Zhaoqing in Quan Prefecture
Chan Master Yanqiu of Longhua in Hangzhou
Chan Master Lian of Bao'an in Hangzhou
Chan Master Guangyun of Baoci in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Shaozong of Kaixian on Mount Lu
Chan Master Baozi of Bao'en in Wu Prefecture
Chan Master Fatao of Qingxin in Hangzhou
Chan Master Hongyan of Shuilu in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Xianze of Guangyan in Hangzhou
Chan Master Huilang of Baoci in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Changhui of Changqing in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Jing of Shifo Cloister in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Congxin of Cuifeng in Chu Prefecture
Chan Master Qinghuan of Zhenfeng in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Qine of Dongchan in Fu Prefecture
Great Master Hongbian of Changqing in Fu Prefecture
Great Master Kelong of Dongchan in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Shoupin of Xianzong in Fu Prefecture
Great Master Huailie of Yong'an in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Linghan of Minshan in Fu Prefecture
Upādhyāya Guishan of Silla
Chan Master Daoyin of Mount Longxu in Ji Prefecture
Chan Master Chengjing of Xiangguang in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Mingyuan of Jiuling in Xiang Prefecture
Chan Master Conggui of Baoci in Hangzhou
Chan Master Qiying of Longhua in Hangzhou
(The above twenty-six persons appear in the records.)
Five Dharma heirs of Chan Master Daofu of Longce Temple in Hangzhou:
Chan Master Shine of Mount Qinghua in Yue Prefecture
Chan Master Yuyuan of Nanchang in Qu Prefecture
Chan Master Zhiyuan of Zifu in Fu Prefecture
(The above three persons appear in the records.)
Chan Master Guiduan of Dongshan in Yun Prefecture
Chan Master Jingfeng of Wen Prefecture
(The above two persons, having no words of encounter, are not recorded.)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Zhifu of Ehu in Xin Prefecture:
Chan Master Fajin
(One person, having no words of encounter, is not recorded.)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Huaiyue of Bao'en in Zhang Prefecture:
Chan Master Shihao of Miaoji in Tan Prefecture
(One person appears in the records.)
Eleven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shenyan of Mount Gushan in Fu Prefecture:
Chan Master Ziyi of Mount Tianzhu in Hangzhou
Chan Master Zhizuo of Baiyun in Jian Prefecture
Chan Master Zhiyan of Mount Gushan in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Zhisong of Mount Longshan in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Qiang of Mount Fenghuang in Quan Prefecture
Chan Master Wenyi of Mount Longshan in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Zhiyue of Mount Gushan in Fu Prefecture
Upādhyāya Dinghui of Xiang Prefecture
Chan Master Qing'e of Mount Gushan in Fu Prefecture
Chan Master Chongxu of Jingde in Jinling
Chan Master Qinghu of Bao'en Cloister in Jinling
(The above eleven persons appear in the records.)
21.2
The Seventh Generation of Chan Master Xingsi of Mount Qingyuan in Ji Prefecture, Part One
21.3
Dharma heirs of the former Chan Master Shibei of Xuansha in Fu Prefecture
21.4
Chan Master Guichen of Luohan Monastery in Zhangzhou was a native of Changshan. His family name was Li. As a young boy, he ate only one vegetarian meal a day, and his speech was extraordinary. Having come of age, he took leave of his parents to serve Great Master Wuxiang at Wansui Monastery in his home prefecture. He shaved his head, received the precepts, and studied the Vinaya. One day, after ascending the platform to recite the Prātimokṣa at the poṣadha for the assembly, he said, "Observing or breaking [precepts] merely regulates the body; it is not true liberation. How can making interpretations based on the written letter give rise to holiness?" Thereupon he visited the Southern School. At first he called upon Yunju and Xuefeng, inquiring and paying respects with diligence and devotion, yet he still had no insight. Later he went to Great Master Zongyi of Xuansha. With a single word, he was awakened, vast and free of doubts. Xuansha once asked, "The three realms are mind-only—how do you understand this?" The Master pointed to a chair and said, "What does the Upādhyāya call this?" Xuansha said, "A chair." The Master said, "The Upādhyāya does not understand that the three realms are mind-only." Xuansha said, "I call this bamboo and wood; what do you call it?" The Master said, "Guichen also calls it bamboo and wood." Xuansha said, "Searching the entire great earth, one cannot find a single person who understands the Buddha Dharma." From then on, the Master spurred himself on even more. Whenever Xuansha guided and instructed the stream of students, manifesting various samādhis, he always commanded the Master to assist in inspiring them. Although the Master concealed his brilliance while dwelling among the community, his reputation spread far and wide. At that time, Duke Wang, the Governor of Zhangzhou, requested the construction of a hermitage called Dizang on Shishan to the west of the Min city, and invited the Master to take up residence there. Barely more than twelve years later, he moved to Luohan Monastery in Zhangzhou. He broadly expounded the mysterious essentials, and students gathered like clouds. The Master ascended the hall and said: "Is the profound marvel of our ancestral school simply like this, or is there something extraordinary besides? If there is something extraordinary, try to bring something forward! If there is nothing, you must not use three words to serve as the ancestral vehicle. What are the three words? They are 'ancestral' (zong), 'teaching' (jiao), and 'vehicle' (cheng). As soon as you speak of the ancestral vehicle, it is the ancestral vehicle; speak of the teaching vehicle, and it is the teaching vehicle. Virtuous Chan monks! The Buddha Dharma and the ancestral vehicle originally had names established by your own mouths; taking them as such and speaking of them as such, that is what they are. In an instant, you speak here of the level, the real, the complete, and the eternal. Virtuous Chan monks! What do you call level and real? What do you take to be complete and eternal? Travelling about as itinerant monks, you must by rights distinguish clearly; do not bury each other. Having gained some sounds, forms, and names, you store them in your minds, saying, 'I understand and interpret; I am skillful at discriminating.' Just what do you understand? What do you discriminate? What you memorize is names; what you discriminate is sound and form. If not for sound, form, and names, how would you memorize and discriminate? The wind blowing through pine trees is also sound; toads and old crows are also sounds. Why do you not go there to listen and make choices? If there is any conception or pattern there, just as in the old teacher's mouth, how much conception is there to give you, sthaviras? Make no mistake! Right now, sounds and forms are clamoring—do they reach each other or not? If they reach each other, then your spiritual nature, the adamantine secret, would have to be destroyed. Why so? Because sound pierces your ears, and form pierces your eyes. Conditions would obstruct your illusory delusions, running your sounds and forms to death—the essence would not tolerate it. If they do not reach each other, from where then do sound and form come? Do you understand? Whether they reach each other or not, try to judge and discern! In a moment you will say again, 'This is complete and eternal, level and real'—who said it that way? It is not that a fellow from a rustic Huangyi village knows how to speak like that; it is that the ancient sages bestowed a little something to assist in revealing it. People nowadays do not know good from bad, and immediately set up 'complete and real,' saying, 'I have an extraordinary house style of the school, mysterious and marvelous.' Śākyamuni Buddha had no tongue; he was not as good as you, who lightly thump your chests like that. If we speak of the sins of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, though heavy, they are still light and have a time of cessation. But this slandering of prajñā blinds the eyes of sentient beings; one enters Avīci Hell and swallows iron balls. Do not take it lightly! Therefore the ancients said, 'The fault lies with the teacher; it has nothing to do with you.' Take care." A monk asked, "What is the single phrase of Luohan?" The Master said, "If I speak to you, it becomes two phrases." He asked, "If someone who does not understand comes, does the Master still receive him?" The Master said, "Who is the one who does not understand?" He said, "I just said it." The Master said, "Do not wrong yourself." He asked, "When the character ba (八) is not formed and the character yi (以) is not right, how is it?" The Master said, "You truly do not understand." He said, "This student truly does not understand." The Master said, "Look at the footnote below." He asked, "What is a śramaṇa's food of right livelihood?" The Master said, "Can you eat it?" He said, "If one wishes to eat this food, what skillful means should one use?" The Master said, "Block your mouth." He asked, "What is the house style of Luohan?" The Master said, "I will not tell you." He said, "Why not tell me?" The Master said, "It is my house style." He asked, "What is the body of the Dharma King?" The Master said, "What body do you have now?" He said, "Then there is no body." The Master said, "The suffering and pain are deep." The Master ascended the hall and had just sat down when two monks bowed at the same time. The Master said, "Both are mistaken." A monk asked, "What is an unbreakable phrase?" The Master said, "Break!" He asked, "When a single Buddha appears in the world, it is universally for all sentient beings. Why is the Upādhyāya here today?" The Master said, "Where did you encounter a single Buddha?" He said, "Then it is this student's fault." The Master said, "Step back with care." He asked, "What is the house style of Luohan?" The Master said, "Look at both the inside and the outside." He asked, "What is the profound purport of all the sages?" The Master said, "The four edges collapse to the ground." He asked, "When the great matter is not yet resolved, how is it?" The Master said, "It depends on you." He asked, "What are the eyes of the ten directions?" The Master said, "Blink your eyebrows over them." A monk asked, "On account of inviting Baofu to a vegetarian feast, someone was sent to deliver a message: 'We invite the Upādhyāya out of compassion to condescend to attend.' Baofu said, 'For whom is compassion?'" The Master said, "For the Upādhyāya to speak like that is entirely uncompassionate." The Master was enjoying the moon, and said, "The clouds are moving; there will be rain." A monk said, "It is not the clouds moving; it is the wind moving." The Master said, "I say the clouds are not moving, nor is the wind moving." The monk said, "The Upādhyāya just said the clouds were moving." The Master said, "Whose fault is it?" The Master saw a monk coming, raised his whisk, and said, "Do you understand?" The monk said, "I thank the Upādhyāya for his compassion in instructing this student." The Master said, "Seeing me raise the whisk, you immediately say I am instructing the student. Every day you see mountains and waters—could they not be instructing you?" The Master saw another monk coming and raised his whisk. That monk praised him and bowed. The Master said, "Seeing me raise the whisk, you immediately bow and praise. Over there, someone sweeping the ground raises a broom—why do you not praise him?" (Xuanjue said: "Raising the whisk or picking up an object is the same, yet there is a principle of approving and disapproving. Tell me, where does the advantage or harm lie?") A monk asked, "According to the teaching, it is said: 'If one sees all marks as non-marks, one sees the Tathāgata.' What are non-marks?" The Master said, "A lantern." He asked, "What is leaving home?" The Master said, "What do you call home?" The Master asked a monk, "Where do you come from?" He said, "I come from Qinzhou." The Master said, "What thing did you bring?" He said, "I brought no thing." The Master said, "Why do you deceive the assembly?" The monk was speechless. The Master then asked, "Does not Qinzhou produce parrots?" The monk said, "Parrots are produced in Longzhou." The Master said, "That's not much different." The Master asked a monk, "Where do you come from?" He said, "I come from Bao'en." The Master said, "Why did you not stay there for a while?" The monk said, "A monk's home is not fixed." The Master said, "Since it is a monk's home, why is it not fixed?" The monk had no answer. (Xuanjue said in his place: "I thank the Upādhyāya for inquiring.") When the Master was dwelling at Dizang, a monk reported, "Upādhyāya Baofu has passed away." The Master said, "Baofu has passed away; Dizang enters the stupa." (A monk asked Fayan, "What was the ancient's intention?" Fayan said, "Blue sky! Blue sky!") Later, when Duke Wang went up to Xuefeng to distribute robes to the monks, Sthavira Congyan was absent. A junior fellow monk put his name down and received the robe on his behalf. Yan returned, and the junior monk said, "I entered your name, senior brother." Yan said, "What do you say my name is?" The junior monk had no answer. The Master said in his place, "How can you be so greedy, senior brother?" He also said, "Where is the greed?" The Master again said in his place, "Entering the name twice." (Yunju Xi said, "Where is the place where Sthavira Yan entered his name twice?") The Master, together with Changqing and Baofu, entered the city and saw a peony screen. Baofu said, "What a beautiful peony flower!" Changqing said, "Do not let your eyes become blurred." The Master said, "What a pity for such a flower!" (Xuanjue said: "Did the words of these three venerable elders have intimacy or estrangement? Just as Luohan spoke thus, where did it fall?") The Master asked a monk, "What unusual thing did you hear at Zhaoqing? Try to bring it up." The monk said, "I dare not bring it up mistakenly." The Master said, "How do you bring up the real thing?" The monk said, "Why is the Upādhyāya like this?" The Master said, "Your words have fallen into error." When the monks heard the horn during evening instruction, the Master said, "Luohan ascends the hall once every three days; the Grand Tutor Wang assists twice a day." A monk asked, "What is the student's original master?" The Master said, "Mind is your original mind." A monk asked, "The Master sits on the precious seat, expounding the Dharma and liberating people; I wonder, what kind of people do you liberate?" The Master said, "You also sit on the precious seat; what kind of people do you liberate?" A monk asked, "Looking at a form in a mirror, it is not difficult to see; what is the mirror?" The Master said, "Do you still see the form?" A monk asked, "'Only attain the root, do not worry about the branches'—what are the branches?" The Master said, "Everything exists." When the Master was ill, a monk asked, "Is the Upādhyāya's health any better?" The Master leaned his staff on the ground and said, "Do you say this still hurts or not?" The monk said, "Whom is the Upādhyāya asking?" The Master said, "I am asking you." The monk said, "Does it still hurt?" The Master said, "It turns out you are making intellectual arguments with me." In the autumn of the wuzi year, the third year of the Tiancheng era of the Later Tang, the Master returned to his old dwelling in the city of Min. After visiting the Buddhist monasteries near the city, he suddenly manifested illness for a few days, sat peacefully, and passed away. His age was sixty-two; his monastic age was forty. He was cremated, his relics were collected, and a stupa was erected in the western corner of the monastery in accordance with his bequeathed teachings. On the fifteenth day of the twelfth month of the yihai year, the second year of Qingtai, he was enshrined in the stupa. He was posthumously granted the title Chan Master Zhenying.
21.5
Chan Master Huiqiu Jizhao of Anguo Monastery on Mount Wolong in Fuzhou (the second generation abbot, also called Zhongta) was a native of Putian in Quanzhou. He left home at Mount Guiyang. In Xuansha's quarters, he ranked foremost among those who inquired into the Dharma. Once he asked, "What is the first moon?" Xuansha said, "What do you use your moon for?" From this the Master had an awakening. In the second year of Kaiping of the Liang dynasty, when Xuansha was about to manifest extinction, the military commissioner of Min, Lord Wang, sent his son to inquire after his illness, and further requested him to secretly indicate who should succeed him in preaching the Dharma. Xuansha said, "Qiu has it." Lord Wang silently bore in mind the bequeathed instructions, and then asked National Master Gushan, "For the Dharma seat at Wolong, who should undertake that responsibility?" Gushan brought forward twelve senior and virtuous monks from beneath the city walls who possessed the eye of the Way, all capable of appearing in the world. Lord Wang also remained silent about this. When the day came to open the hall, government officials and monks all gathered at the Dharma assembly. Lord Wang suddenly asked the assembly, "Who is Sthavira Qiu?" Thereupon the assembly pointed out the Master. Lord Wang then invited him to ascend the seat. The Master remained silent for a good while, and then addressed the assembly, saying, "Do not dislike loneliness; do not say it is unbearable. When the limit is not yet clear, how can you debate and measure it? Therefore, normally I use sounds and echoes, giving a poke or two merely to help trigger their awakening, saying: 'Search through the worlds of the ten directions for a single person to be a companion, and none can be found.'" A monk asked, "Through what skillful means may one suddenly enter the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?" The Master said, "Entering is the skillful means." [The monk] asked, "From what mountain do clouds arise? From what ravine is the wind born?" The Master said, "Exerting all effort in action does not depart from Zhongta." The Master ascended the hall and addressed the assembly, saying, "My expounding of the conditions of gruel and rice here for you brethren is ultimately not eternal. If you wish to attain what is essential, it is rather the mountains, rivers, and the great earth that will illuminate it for you. Since that Way is eternal, it can also be ultimate. If you enter through the gate of Mañjuśrī, all unconditioned earth, wood, tiles, and rubble will help trigger your awakening. If you enter through the gate of Avalokiteśvara, all sounds, echoes, toads, and earthworms will help trigger your awakening. If you enter through the gate of Samantabhadra, you arrive without moving a step. I use the skillful means of these three gates to show you, like taking a single broken chopstick to stir the water of the great ocean, making those fish and dragons know that water is their life. Do you understand? If you lack the eye of wisdom to examine it thoroughly, no matter your hundred kinds of cleverness, it will not be ultimate." A monk asked, "I have recently entered the monastery and am not clear about my own affair; I beg the Master's instruction." The Master pointed at him with his staff and said, "Do you understand?" [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "My acting like this for you has instead ended up doing you an injustice. Do you know that? If we consider the person's own share, the fundamental matter is never lacking, regardless of whether one has just entered the monastery or is a Buddha of the past. It is like the water of the great ocean: from when they are first born until they grow old and die, the water enjoyed by all fish and dragons is completely equal." [A monk] asked, "Without deviating from the correct lineage, please, Master, speak the truth." The Master said, "You speak for me." The monk said, "If there is someone who cannot discern it, what then?" The Master said, "Wait until someone who cannot discern it comes." [A monk] asked, "Do the Buddhas still have a teacher?" The Master said, "They do." The monk said, "Who is the teacher of the Buddhas?" The Master said, "No one can recognize him." The Master ascended the hall and remained silent for a good while. A monk came forward and bowed. The Master said, "Do not let your skull be crushed." [A monk] asked, "What was the affair at the assembly on Vulture Peak?" The Master said, "Few are those who are sharp-witted." The monk said, "If one suddenly encounters a sharp-witted one, what then?" The Master said, "This muddled fellow!" The Master ascended the hall and instructed the assembly, saying, "If you people wish to deliberate, send word from behind the skull and then come deliberate together. Here, people's radiance has never been obstructed." [A monk] asked, "How is the matter of the ancestral vehicle from of old?" The Master remained silent for a good while. The monk asked again. The Master then shouted him out. [A monk] asked, "What was the affair on the peak of Mount Dayu?" The Master said, "I reckon you cannot bear it." The monk said, "How heavy is it?" The Master said, "Regarding this sort of thing, even after kalpas of discussion, nothing can be done about it." The Master asked Monastery Director Liao, "Just as the late master said, 'The worlds of the ten directions are entirely the real person's body'—do you still see the monks' hall?" Liao said, "Upādhyāya, do not let your eyes be blurred." The Master said, "The late master passed away, yet his flesh is still warm." The Master passed away without illness on the seventeenth day of the eighth month in the third year of Qianhua of the Liang dynasty, the guiyou year.
21.6
Great Master Zhongji Mingzhen of Tianlong Temple in Hangzhou was a native of Huangyan in Taizhou. Having obtained the Dharma from Xuansha, he returned to the Zhejiang region. King Wusu of Qian invited him to preach the Dharma and reside as abbot. He ascended the hall and instructed the assembly, saying, "If one directly brings forward the tradition of the school and exclusively proclaims the fundamental matter, it is just like a stubborn rock. If one says that news of ordinary and sagely is cut off, there are no mountains and rivers of the great earth, and the worlds of the ten directions are entirely a single eye—this is merely saying so because there is no alternative. Therefore it is often said: 'Blind, deaf, mute, and dumb are saindhava; / People before one's eyes cannot do anything about it. / Just right before your eyes you must realize the subtlety: / Body, mind, and the myriad phenomena in dense array.'" A monk asked, "What is the armillary sphere not moving?" The Master said, "Several folds of green mountains." The monk said, "What is being still and rootless?" The Master said, "A ribbon of white clouds." [A monk] asked, "What is returning to the root and obtaining the purport?" The Master said, "The rabbit's horns have grown." The monk said, "What is following illumination and losing the source?" The Master said, "The turtle's hairs have fallen off." [A monk] asked, "How is it before the lotus flower has emerged from the water?" The Master said, "Who does not know it exists?" The monk said, "How about after it has emerged from the water?" The Master said, "Fragrance met by the eye." [A monk] asked, "How is it when the bright moon shines in the sky?" The Master said, "Just when its light is partitioned, what need is there to point to the jade tower?"
21.7
Great Master Qifu Qingfa of Xianzong Monastery in Fuzhou: On the day he first opened the hall, a monk asked the Master, "Ascending the precious seat, what matter ought to be discussed?" The Master said, "Pick open your earholes." The monk said, "Why did the ancients say, 'It is not reached by ears or eyes'?" The Master said, "Pears do not grow on Cherokee rose trees." The monk said, "Please, Master, speak of the place untouched by past or present." The Master said, "How do you ask?" [A monk] asked, "When many hands pan for gold, who is the one that gets it?" The Master said, "Raising a hand separates by a thousand miles; cease effort and look as you will." [A monk] asked, "Beside the Flying Cliff the flowers are lovely; how is the matter before the platform of the immortal realm?" The Master said, "The priceless great treasure appears within the light; / What can be done for the dark guest who is dim and confused?" The monk said, "When the udumbara flower blossoms, all people see it; what is the meaning of the transcendental ancestral vehicle?" The Master said, "If you, ācārya, ask about the meaning of the ancestral vehicle, / It is not as good as svāhā in a quiet place." [A monk] asked, "What is the realm of the Buddhas in the Great Min State?" The Master said, "The creations of nature are ultimately difficult to fathom; / The spring breeze makes itself light in vain." [A monk] asked, "What is the treasure in the Way?" The Master said, "Even the cloud-grandson sheds tears." [A monk] asked, "How is it after all the sages withdraw their radiance and return to the source?" The Master said, "The three cries of the gibbon repeatedly break off; / The traveler from ten thousand miles listens with sorrow." The monk said, "I wonder, how can people of today match the mechanism of the ancients?" The Master said, "With a good heart I speak to you: take care regarding the time before you were born."
21.8
Chan Master Tao of Guotai Monastery on Mount Jinhua in Wuzhou ascended the hall and said, "Not departing from the immediate place, all is the wondrously bright true mind. Therefore Upādhyāya Xuansha said, 'Few people in the world know how to understand my final phrase.' How can that compare to Guotai having a last phrase?" A monk asked, "What is Guotai's last phrase?" The Master said, "Ācārya, you have come up too late!" [A monk] asked, "Who is the teacher of Vairocana?" The Master said, "This humble monk and you, elder brother, are his disciples." [A monk] asked, "I do not ask about Bodhidharma coming to the land of Tang; what was the matter before he came?" The Master said, "Personally meeting the King of Liang." [A monk] asked, "How was it before the ancient mirror was polished?" The Master said, "An ancient mirror." The monk said, "How about after it was polished?" The Master said, "An ancient mirror."
21.9
Chan Master Cheng of Nantai on Mount Heng: A monk asked, "Please, Master, proclaim the essential doctrine of Xuansha." The Master said, "Where did you get this news?" The monk said, "Who is the one who extends reception?" The Master said, "Finding the person without deluding oneself." [A monk] asked, "Whose realm is it when the pool is clear and the moon appears?" The Master said, "It is none of your business." The monk said, "What harm is there in asking each other?" The Master said, "Searching for the pool's moon is impossible." [A monk] asked, "Four fingers off the ground, why are there fish-scale patterns instead?" The Master said, "There is the measure of the sage present." The monk said, "For what kind of person is this measure applied?" The Master said, "Not for a sage."
21.10
Chan Master Daoxi of Bailong Monastery on Mount Sheng in Fuzhou was a native of Min County in Fuzhou. The Master ascended the hall and said, "Whose majestic radiance is it not to lift a foot? Do you still understand? If you say one's own destination is fundamentally just like this, it is entirely delightful that there is no connection." A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the [Patriarch's] coming from the West?" The Master said, "Where did you come from?" [A monk] asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?" The Master said, "Make three prostrations early." [A monk] asked, "Without finding fault, having come up, I ask the Master to speak directly." The Master said, "Agreed." [A monk] asked, "What is the correct and true Way?" The Master said, "Riding a donkey to search for a donkey." [A monk] asked, "Please, Master, answer the topic of host and guest without [distinction]." The Master said, "In former years I once remembered it." The monk said, "How about right now?" The Master said, "Not only am I deaf, but my eyes are also dim." [A monk] asked, "How is it when sentiments are forgotten and substance unites?" The Master said, "What else do you dream of seeing?" [A monk] asked, "I intend to present a question; please, Master, decide it." The Master said, "I will not decide it." The monk said, "Why do you not decide it?" The Master said, "One must recognize a skilled hand." [A monk] asked, "The great assembly has gathered like clouds; please, Master, proclaim the ancestral teachings." The Master said, "Few are those who surpass the listener." [A monk] asked, "Without involving the sharp edge of the lips, I beg the Master's instruction." The Master said, "Bring your question without involving the sharp edge of the lips." The monk said, "In that case, the multitude of living beings can rely on it." The Master said, "No idle talk." [A monk] asked, "Please, Upādhyāya, answer my words with living dynamism." The Master said, "Take paper and brush and record it away." [A monk] asked, "What was Great Master Si's mouth?" The Master said, "Come out, and I will tell you." The monk said, "I have just now stepped forward." The Master said, "How many people have you deceived?" [A monk] asked, "I take note that an ancient said, 'The skull constantly dries up the world; the hairs of the nostrils touch the house style.' What is 'the skull constantly dries up the world'?" The Master said, "Come close, and I will tell you." The monk said, "What is 'the hairs of the nostrils touch the house style'?" The Master said, "Step back; come another time."
21.11
Great Master Chong'ao Mingfa of Luofeng in Fuzhou previously resided at Bailong. The Master ascended the hall and said, "Everyone is complete; everyone accomplishes views. How can you blame this mountain monk? Take care." A monk asked, "The quiescent aspect of all dharmas cannot be declared in words. What is the quiescent aspect?" The Master said, "Question and answer are both complete." The monk asked, "If so, then the Dharma realm of Suchness has neither self nor other." The Master said, "It specifically causes one sorrow." [A monk] asked, "How was Niutou before he met the Fourth Patriarch?" The Master said, "His virtue was heavy, revered by ghosts and spirits." [The monk] said, "How about after he met him?" The Master said, "His whole body was sagely, beyond fathoming." [A monk] asked, "What is a phrase from Luofeng?" The Master said, "Bitter!" [A monk] asked, "Who is the original person?" The Master said, "Sorrowful; the pine and vine realm is perilous."
21.12
The Upādhyāya of Mount Shuilong in Quanzhou: A monk asked, "What is bodhi right before the eyes?" The Master chased him with his staff. The monk ran. The Master said, "Stop! Stop! Later, when you meet an adept, bring it up and see." The Master ascended the hall, held up his staff, and said, "Dwelling on the mountain for thirty years, I have obtained strength from this staff." At that time a monk asked, "What strength did the Upādhyāya obtain from it?" The Master said, "Crossing streams and crossing mountain ranges, leaning east and leaning west." (When Zhaoqing heard this, he said, "I would not speak like that." A monk asked, "How would the Upādhyāya speak?" Zhaoqing put his staff to the ground and walked leaning on it.)
21.13
Great Master Guangxu Zhide of Yunfeng on Mount Tiantai ascended the hall and said, "It is merely that sentient beings use it daily without knowing it. For example, the sun, moon, stars, constellations, rivers, streams, Huai, and Ji of the great trichiliocosm, and all sentient beings, enter from one pore into another pore. The pore is not small; the world is not large. The sentient beings within it are unconscious and unaware. If you want to understand easily: you sthaviras also use it daily without knowing it." A monk asked, "In the daytime the monk carries the statue; at night the statue carries the monk. I wonder, what is the meaning of this?" The Master said, "Haven't you, ācārya, come from the tea hall?"
21.14
Hermitage Master Qiru of Mount Dazhang in Fuzhou was a native of Yongtai in Fuzhou. He received his training at Tushita Cloister in Baizhang Village, Quanzhou. He had long harboured solitary integrity and set his mind on exploring the ancestral Way. Entering the halls of Xuansha, he awakened brilliantly to the profound purport. Xuansha gave him a prediction, saying, 'Your Chan has already surpassed standard patterns; in the future, will you need even one person to stand in attendance? None.' From then on, the master did not occupy himself with gathering disciples and kept no novice attendants. He lived in seclusion on Mount Xiaojie, hollowing out a large decayed cedar like a small hermitage, just large enough to contain his body. Whenever travelling monks arrived, he responded according to their inquiries, with no fixed instruction. A monk asked, 'When birth and death arrive, how can one evade them?' The master said, 'When the official talisman arrives, carry it out.' The monk said, 'If so, one will simply be seized and taken away by birth and death.' The master said, 'Oh, alas, alas!' [A monk] asked, 'What is the meaning of holding a staff in India?' The master took his staff, planted it on the ground, and shook it. The monk said, 'I do not yet understand: what is the meaning of this?' The master said, 'This is struck by Master Zhang.' The monk intended to speak further, but the master thrust the staff at him. The two elders Qinghuo and Chongxu had long heard the master's name but had never met him. One day they visited him together and happened upon the master gathering millet. Huo asked, 'O man of the Way, where is Hermitage Master Ru?' The master said, 'Where have you come from?' Huo said, 'From the foot of the mountain.' The master said, 'For what reason have you managed to reach here?' Huo said, 'What place is this?' The master bowed with hands clasped and said, 'Go over there and have some tea.' Only then did the two gentlemen realize it was the master. They then went to the hermitage and savoured his lofty discourses. Sitting with him face to face at his side, they did not notice night falling. They saw jackals and tigers racing up to the front of the hermitage, yet becoming naturally tame and gentle. Huo accordingly composed a poem, which said: / 'This journey was no casual journey; / Who knows the sentiment of leaving and staying? / With a single meal one is not yet sated; / The myriad households have nothing on which to live. / Without the Way, they would surely be hard to tame; / With empty fists, do not contend with them. / Where the dragon groans and clouds arise, / Let out two or three leisurely whistles.' / Soon the two gentlemen founded a hermitage on Mount Dazhang and invited the master to dwell there. He sat alone in these two places for nearly fifty-two years, and then passed away. Although Huo received his pointers, he later received the seal of approval from Shuilong and thus became Shuilong's dharma heir, residing at Baofu in Zhangzhou.
21.15
Upādhyāya Lu of Yongxing on Mount Lianhua in Fuzhou: On the day the King of Min invited the master to open the hall, before ascending the seat, he first stood before it and said, 'Great King, great assembly, listen! There has already been a genuine proclamation. Everyone in this whole gathering has heard it. How could there be anyone who has not heard it? If anyone has not heard it, we have deceived one another!' Only then did he ascend the seat. A monk asked, 'The king of the state has invited you, master, to appear in the world. I wonder, how does today's gathering compare to Vulture Peak?' The master said, 'Penetrating antiquity, it is transmitted to the present.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the upādhyāya's house style?' The master said, 'The tip of a hair manifests sand-realms; the sun and moon appear within it.'
21.16
Sthavira Shijing of Guoqing Monastery on Mount Tiantai: When he first met Upādhyāya Xuansha, [Xuansha] instructed the assembly, saying, 'If all of you can just spend your whole life as if in mourning for your parents, I guarantee you will penetrate through to the bottom.' The master then took up his previous words and asked, 'Just as the teachings say that one cannot use the cognizing mind to measure the Tathāgata's unsurpassed knowledge and vision, how is that?' Xuansha said, 'Tell me, can the cognizing mind that has penetrated through to the bottom still be reached by measuring, or not?' From this, the master gained faith and entered. Later he dwelt on Mount Tiantai for over thirty years without going down the mountain. He comprehensively synthesized the three trainings, lived with solitary integrity, and in the leisure of his Chan serenity, he regularly read the dragon canon. Those far and near revered him, calling him at that time Sthavira Dajing (Great Jing). Someone once asked him, 'Whenever this disciple sits at night, thoughts scatter and fly. I have not yet understood the method for subduing them. I pray you offer instruction.' The master replied, saying, 'If while sitting peacefully at night thoughts scatter and fly, then turn that scattering and flying mind back to examine the place of its scattering and flying. When you examine it and find no place, where can the scattering and flying thoughts remain? If you turn back to examine the examining mind, where is the mind capable of examining? Furthermore, the wisdom capable of illuminating is originally empty, and the objective realm that is conditioned is also calm. That which is calm without being [merely] calm is because there is no person capable of being calm. That which illuminates without being [merely] illumination is because there is no objective realm to be illuminated. When realm and wisdom are both calm, mental deliberations are tranquil. Outwardly, do not pursue branches; inwardly, do not abide in samādhi. When both paths are obliterated, the one nature is serene. This is indeed the essential Way of returning to the source.' The master, having observed the meaning of illusion in the teachings, then composed a verse to question the students. The verse said:
21.17
'If one says that dharmas all exist like illusions, / Then committing various transgressions and evils should bring no blame. / Why is the karma one creates not unreal, / Such that one must rely on the Buddha's compassion to arise and guide one?'
21.18
At that time Sthavira Xiaojing (Little Jing) replied, saying:
21.19
'An illusory person raises illusory beings within the illusory iron enclosure; / Illusory karma can incur what illusory [punishments] govern. / Not comprehending illusion gives rise to various illusory sufferings; / Awakening to the knowledge that it is like an illusion, the illusion is unconditioned.'
21.20
Both Sthaviras named Jing passed away on this mountain. Their remaining traces are still at Guoqing Monastery today.
21.21
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Huileng of Changqing Cloister in Fuzhou
21.22
Chan Master Daokuang of Zhaoqing Cloister in Quanzhou was a native of Chaozhou. When Upādhyāya Leng first resided at Zhaoqing, the master entered his room and attended upon him. When Upādhyāya Leng was summoned to Changle Prefecture and flourished in transforming beings at the West Cloister, the master succeeded his footsteps and resided at Zhaoqing, the assembly of students remaining as before. The master ascended the hall and said, 'Understanding before the sound lets down your whole life; matching the opportunity after the phrase completely goes against the essence of the Way. Why is it like this? Assembly, tell me, how should it originally be?' He also said to the assembly, 'Tonight Zhaoqing speaks it all at once for you. Do you still understand where it lands?' At that time a monk came forward and said, 'If the great assembly scatters all at once, does that match the master's intention or not?' The master said, 'A staff is well deserved.' The monk bowed. The master said, 'Although you have the intention of the blind turtle, you still lack the journey of the dawn moon.' The monk said, 'What is the journey of the dawn moon?' The master said, 'This is the intention of the blind turtle.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the practice of a śramaṇa?' The master said, 'Non-practice is not practice.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the meaning of coming from the West?' The master said, 'A mosquito on an iron ox.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the sword in the scabbard?' The master remained silent for a long while. The monk was at a loss. The master said, 'You must also be grateful to Zhaoqing before you get it.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the phrase that brings forth the school?' The master said, 'Do not be deluded about Zhaoqing.' The monk bowed and stood up. The master said again, 'Do not be deluded about Zhaoqing! I instruct you: what is the phrase that brings forth the school?' The monk had no answer. [A monk] asked, 'When one does not accept it under Mañjuśrī's sword, what then?' The master said, 'Not yet a skilled hand.' The monk said, 'What is a skilled hand?' The master said, 'Your words have fallen into error.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the Zhaoqing house style?' The master said, 'Better to take joy in pure poverty than to have much sorrow in murky wealth.' [A monk] asked, 'What is Nanquan's single-thread path?' The master said, 'I do not begrudge telling you, but I fear that compared to before, it will be even more disparate.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the great meaning of the Buddha-dharma?' The master said, 'Seven toppled and eight fallen.' [A monk] asked, 'The student's capacity and thought are slow and hesitating; I beg the master to gently exercise your compassion and open a single-thread path.' The master said, 'This is grandmotherly mind.' The monk said, 'The Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka is unfolded so that I may receive your venerable compassion. What is the matter of the ancestral vehicle transmitted from above?' The master said, 'If so, you must ask in person before you can get it.' The master asked a monk, 'Where have you come from?' The monk said, 'From chopping firewood.' The master said, 'Is there anything that cannot be chopped through?' The monk said, 'There is.' The master said, 'What is it that cannot be chopped through?' The monk was speechless. The master said, 'If you cannot say, ask me and I will tell you.' The monk said, 'What is it that cannot be chopped through?' The master said, 'It swindles people to death because the ground moves.' A monk asked, 'Is there one that does not move?' The master said, 'There is.' The monk said, 'What is the one that does not move?' The master said, 'Movement comes from the east and then returns to the west.' [A monk] asked, 'When the Dharma rain moistens universally, is there anywhere that is not moistened?' The master said, 'There is.' The monk said, 'What is the place that is not moistened?' The master said, 'Sprinkled water cannot touch it.' [A monk] asked, 'What is Zhaoqing's profoundest depth?' The master said, 'Drowning you together with it.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the person within the ninefold city walls?' The master said, 'Does he still share acquaintance with you?' The master ascended the hall, and the assembly of monks crowded around the Dharma seat. The master said, 'There is nothing here. Why do you insist on crowding and jostling one another like this? The stirring of thought already has no connection with it; trying to set up another gate is thousands and tens of thousands of miles away. Now that you have come up, each of you summon your spirits! Would it be good if Zhaoqing threw it all down to you at once?' The master asked again, 'Have you caught it yet?' The assembly had no answer. The master said, 'Labour without merit! How can all of you be so dull? Look at those one or two ancients who were so quick: as soon as they saw it, they carried it off on their shoulders—that was at least a bit better! If there were such a person, not only the four requisites of offering, but even turning the ground to lapis lazuli and the walls to white silver would not be considered precious; Śakra leading before and Brahmā following behind, churning the long river into clarified butter and transforming the great earth into yellow gold would still not be considered sufficient. Even if one attains directly like this, there is still one more grade remaining. Do you understand? Take care!'
21.23
Great Master Yancheng Shixiang Deyi of Longhua Temple in Hangzhou: On the day he opened the hall, he said to the assembly, 'Today, having ascended the Dharma seat, how could I manage to conceal anything? As for that which is not concealed, is there anyone in this assembly who can bear witness to it? If so, step forward and together make an example.' At that time a monk asked, 'The commandery prefect has invited you; how will the master proclaim the school's purport?' The master said, 'When the Dharma arrives at other places, take utmost care not to transmit it erroneously.' [A monk] asked, 'Did this seat descend from heaven, or did it well up from the earth?' The master said, 'What is it?' The monk said, 'This seat is so lofty and vast, how could one ascend it?' The master said, 'Today I was nearly settled by you.' [A monk] asked, 'At the gathering on Vulture Peak, Kāśyapa personally heard it. In today's gathering, who is able to hear it?' The master said, 'Those who are with me strike the great rhythm.' The monk said, 'Evidently outstanding!' The master said, 'Go move the water and broth to be used in the tea hall.' The master also said, 'From antiquity, the Buddha-dharma has been entrusted to kings, ministers, and powerful dānapatis. Today, the commandery prefect and the various officials have especially deigned to invite me; I am overwhelmed with gratitude and shame. This mountain monk still has a final phrase, which I will sell cheaply to you all.' The master then stood up and said, 'Is there anyone who will buy it? If there is anyone who will buy it, step forward! If no one buys it, the cheap goods will be withdrawn by themselves.' After standing for a long time, he said, 'Take care!' The master sometimes ascended the hall and said, 'An auspicious hour and an auspicious day: speak quickly, speak quickly!' He also said, 'Assembly, come closer and listen to this old fellow explain the supreme meaning!' When the assembly came closer, the master struck and chased them away. [A monk] asked, 'What is the student's self?' The master said, 'Adding frost on top of snow.'
21.24
Chan Master Lian of Bao'an in Lin'an County, Hangzhou: A monk asked, 'What is the Bao'an house style?' The master said, 'What difficulty is there in asking?' [A monk] asked, 'What is the blow-hair sword?' The master said, 'The iron pillar of Yuzhang is firm.' The monk said, 'The student does not understand.' The master said, 'The Zhang River personally arrived.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the practice of a śramaṇa?' The master said, 'A monk wearing a cap on his head.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the meaning of coming from the West?' The master said, 'A dead tiger is enough for people to look at.' [A monk] asked, 'One question and one answer, both parties' spirits arise. What is Bao'an's phrase that does not startle people?' The master said, 'When you reach other places, how will you cite it?'
21.25
Master Guangyun Huijue of Baoci Monastery in Fuzhou ascended the hall and said, "Medicine that cures disease does not require donkey-loads. As for tonight, return to your halls, each of you. Take care." A monk asked, "I have heard that Huijue has a formula for locking the mouth. How do you show it to people?" The Master said, "Fortunately, my staff is not in my hand." The monk said, "In that case, I deeply receive your kindness." The Master said, "Wait until I approve of you; then you may." The Master entered the prefecture. The King of Min asked, "How far apart are Baoci and Shenquan?" The Master said, "Rather than speaking of far or near, it is better to arrive in person." The Master then asked, "Your Majesty responds to a thousand differences each day; what mind is this?" The King said, "Where would a mind come from?" The Master said, "Could it be that there is one without mind?" The King said, "How is the matter on that side?" The Master said, "Please ask toward that side." The King said, "Master of the Way, deceiving someone else will do." A monk asked, "The great assembly has gathered; we request the Master to expound [the teaching]." The Master said, "How many more people have not yet heard?" The monk said, "In that case, there is no need to come up here." The Master said, "If you do not come up here, where will you go to understand?" The monk said, "If there were a location, one would fail the upādhyāya." The Master said, "Then I fear you will not distinguish the refined from the coarse." A monk asked, "'One who speaks the Dharma should speak according to the Dharma.' What is the meaning of this?" The Master said, "What doubt or error is there?" A monk asked, "What was the ancient's intention in facing the wall?" The Master struck him. A monk asked, "Without relying on verbal explanations, please, Master, be direct." The Master said, "Why must we wait for further discussion?"
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- 景德傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese