景德傳燈錄 24
English (machine translation) 24
- Language
- English
24.1
Seventy-four persons of the eighth generation under Chan Master Xingsi of Mount Qingyuan in Jizhou:
Seven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guichen of Luohan Monastery in Zhangzhou:
Chan Master Wenyi of Qingliang in Jinling
Chan Master Hongjin of Qingxi in Xiangzhou
Chan Master Xiufu of Qingliang in Jinling
Chan Master Shaoxiu of Longji in Fuzhou
Chan Master Xiu of Tianlong Temple in Hangzhou
Chan Master Chuanyin of Yanqing in Luzhou
Chan Master Shou'an of Nantai on Mount Heng
(The above seven persons have records [here])
Two Dharma heirs of Great Master Qifu of Xianzong in Fuzhou:
Great Master Dongming of Xianzong in Fuzhou
Chan Master Xingqin of Fuqing in Quanzhou
(The above two persons have records [here])
One Dharma heir of Great Master Zhongji of Tianlong in Hangzhou:
Chan Master Yeong-gwang of Mount Seorak in Goryeo (One person has a record [here])
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Tao of Guotai in Wuzhou:
Chan Master Baosheng of Qiyun in Wuzhou (One person has a record [here])
Five Dharma heirs of Chan Master Daoxi of Bailong on Mount Sheng in Fuzhou:
Chan Master Xuanzhi of Guangping in Fuzhou
Chan Master Qingmu of Bailong in Fuzhou
Chan Master Zhi'en of Lingfeng in Fuzhou
Chan Master Xuanliang of Dongchan in Fuzhou
Chan Master Xuanying of Baoqu in Zhangzhou
(The above five persons have records [here])
Seven Dharma heirs of Great Master Fayin of Zhaoqing in Quanzhou:
Great Master Zongxian of Bao'en in Quanzhou
Chan Master Chengyi of Longguang in Jinling
Chan Master Kexiu of the North Courtyard in Yongxing
Chan Master Qinghai of Taiping in Chenzhou
Great Master Huishen of Ciyun in Lianzhou
Chan Master Daoqin of Xingyang in Yingzhou
(The above six persons have records [here])
Chan Master Qingxi of Baofu in Zhangzhou (One person has no encounter records, his words are not recorded)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Baozi of Bao'en in Wuzhou:
Upādhyāya Cheng of Fulin in Chuzhou (One person has a record [here])
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Congxin of Cuifeng in Chuzhou:
Chan Master Shouzhen of Bao'en in Chuzhou (One person has a record [here])
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Mingyuan of Jiuling in Xiangzhou:
Upādhyāya Tong, the second generation of Jiuling in Xiangzhou (One person has a record [here])
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Zhiqiou of Longhua in Hangzhou:
Chan Master Jun of Renwang Monastery (One person has a record [here])
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Kechou of Baofu in Zhangzhou:
Chan Master Wuyi of Longshou in Zhangzhou (One person has a record [here])
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huilun of Yanshou Temple in Tanzhou:
Chan Master Daoquan of Guizong on Mount Lu
Chan Master Yu of Longxing in Tanzhou
(The above two persons have records [here])
Six Dharma heirs of Upādhyāya Xiang of Baiyun in Shaozhou:
Upādhyāya Dali of Shaozhou
Upādhyāya Baohua of Lianzhou
Upādhyāya Yuehua of Shaozhou
Upādhyāya Dizang of Nanxiongzhou
Chan Master Hankuang of Lejing in Yingzhou
Upādhyāya Houbaiyun of Shaozhou
(The above six persons have records [here])
Two Dharma heirs of Great Dharma Master Yuanmi of Deshan in Langzhou:
Chan Master Wenxi of Luyuan in Tanzhou
Chan Master Keqiong of Yaoshan in Lizhou
(The above two persons have records [here])
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Chengyuan of Xianglin in Qingcheng, Xichuan:
Upādhyāya Luohan of Guanzhou (One person has a record [here])
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Chu of Dongshan Temple in Xiangzhou:
Chan Master Daosong of Tanzhou (One person has no encounter conditions, his words are not recorded)
Nine Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huiji of Huanglong in Ezhou:
Chan Master Shanzhao of Zigaie in the Capital of Luoyang
Chan Master Jida of Huanglong in Meizhou
Upādhyāya of the second generation of Zaoshu
Upādhyāya Cheng of Mount Xuandu in Xingyuan Prefecture
Upādhyāya Heishui of Jiazhou
Chan Master Zhiyong of Huanglong in Ezhou
Upādhyāya Da of Fuchang in Meizhou
(The above seven persons have records [here])
Upādhyāya Ran of Huishan in Changzhou
Chan Master Wuhai of Shuangling in Hongzhou
(The above two persons have no encounter conditions, their words are not recorded)
Six Dharma heirs of Chan Master Deqian of Mingzhao in Wuzhou:
Chan Master Qicong of Bao'en in Chuzhou
Upādhyāya Yu of Puzhao in Wuzhou
Chan Master Baochu of Shuangxi in Wuzhou
Upādhyāya Jiu of Yongquan in Chuzhou
Upādhyāya Yi of Luohan in Quzhou
(The above five persons have records [here])
Upādhyāya Diao of Xingsheng in Fuzhou (One person has no encounter conditions, his words are not recorded)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Zhihong of Mount Dalong in Langzhou:
Chan Master Jingru of Mount Dalong
Chan Master Chuxun of Mount Dalong
Chan Master Congshan of Putong Monastery in Xingyuan Prefecture
(The above three persons have records [here])
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Xing'ai of Baima in Xiangzhou:
Chan Master Zhilun of Baima (One person has a record [here])
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huaichu of Mount Baizhao in Anzhou:
Chan Master Kuangyou of Baoshou in Tangzhou (One person has a record [here])
Chan Master Zinan of Qizhou
Chan Master Jixun of Yongqing Monastery in Guozhou
(The above two persons have no encounter conditions, their words are not recorded)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Zhijing of Guyin in Xiangzhou:
Chan Master Zhiyan of Guyin
Chan Master Faxian of Puning in Xiangzhou
(The above two persons have records [here])
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Hongzhang of Guizong on Mount Lu:
Chan Master Changjue of Pujing Monastery in the Eastern Capital (One person has a record [here])
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Wei of Ziling in Fengxiang Prefecture:
Upādhyāya Dalang of Fengxiang Prefecture
Upādhyāya Xinkai of Tanzhou
(The above two persons have no encounter conditions, their words are not recorded)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huiche of Mount Shimen in Xiangzhou:
Chan Master Shaoyuan of Mount Shimen
Chan Master Shouzhen of Lingzhu in Ezhou
(The above two persons have records [here])
Two Dharma heirs of Upādhyāya Zhi of Tong'an in Hongzhou:
Chan Master Yuanguan of Liangshan in Langzhou (One person has a record [here])
Upādhyāya Lingtong of Chenzhou (One person has no encounter conditions, his words are not recorded)
One Dharma heir of Upādhyāya Yan of Guangde in Xiangzhou:
Chan Master Zhou of Guangde (One person has a record [here])
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Guixin of Jingzhong Temple in Yizhou:
Upādhyāya of Mount Lingkan in Hanzhou (One person has no encounter conditions, his words are not recorded)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Zhiyuan of Heguo in Suizhou:
Great Master Changpu of Kaibao in the Eastern Capital (One person has no encounter conditions, his words are not recorded)
24.2
The Eighth Generation under Chan Master Xingsi
24.3
Dharma Heirs of the Former Chan Master Guichen of Luohan in Zhangzhou
24.4
Chan Master Wenyi of the Qingliang Monastery in Shengzhou was a native of Yuhang, whose secular surname was Lu. At the age of seven, he had his head shaved under Chan Master Quanwei of the Zhitong Monastery in Xinding. At a young age, he received full ordination at Kaiyuan Monastery in Yuezhou. It happened that the Vinaya master Xijue was widely propagating the teachings at the King Aśoka Monastery on Mount Mao in Mingzhou; the Master went there to attend and study, investigating its subtle purports. Furthermore, he engaged extensively in the Confucian classics, roaming through the arena of literary refinement. Master Jue regarded him as the Yan and Xia of his own school.
The Master, once the mysterious trigger was set off, abandoned all sundry affairs. Shaking his mendicant staff, he traveled south and arrived at the Dharma assembly of Changqing in Fuzhou. Although his grasping mind was not yet extinguished, the monastic assembly held him in high esteem. Soon, he formed a companionship with others intending to head beyond the lakes. Having departed, it happened that rain suddenly fell and the mountain torrents swelled violently. He lodged temporarily at the Dizang Monastery west of the city, and thereupon called upon Master Chen.
Chen asked, "Where is the sthavira heading?"
The Master said, "Wandering step by step on foot."
[Chen] asked, "What is this matter of walking on foot like?"
The Master said, "I do not know."
[Chen] said, "Not knowing is the most intimate."
The Master was thoroughly and suddenly enlightened.
Together with his companions, Abbot Jin and others—four people in all—he laid bare his sincerity and requested determinations, and all reached agreement and realization. They received predictions in sequence, each to preside over a region. The Master alone erected a hermitage at Ganchezhou, intending to settle and remain there. Master Jin and the others, wishing to travel and view the monasteries of the region south of the Yangtze, asked the Master to go along. Arriving at Linchuan, the prefect invited him to reside at Chongshou Monastery.
On the initial day of opening the hall, the tea reception was seated at midday and had not yet risen, when the fourfold assembly first surrounded the Dharma seat. At that time, the Monastic Prefect said to the Master, "The fourfold assembly has already surrounded the Upādhyāya’s Dharma seat."
The Master said, "The assembly should instead call upon a true kalyāṇamitra."
After a short while, he ascended the seat. The great assembly concluded their salutations and requests, and the Master addressed the assembly, saying, "Since everyone is fully gathered here, this mountain monk cannot remain without words. I shall cite for the great assembly an expedient means of the ancients. Take care!" Then he stepped down from the seat.
At that time, a monk came forward, bowed, and the Master said, "A fine question!" Just as the monk was putting forward his inquiry, the Master said, "The elder has not opened the hall and does not answer questions."
Sthavira Zifang came from Changqing. The Master cited a verse of the former Upādhyāya Leng of Changqing and asked, "What is 'within the myriad forms, the solitary body is revealed'?"
Zifang raised his whisk.
The Master said, "How can understanding it like this do?"
[Zifang] said, "What is the Upādhyāya's venerable opinion?"
The Master said, "What do you call myriad forms?"
[Zifang] said, "The ancients did not push away the myriad forms."
The Master said, "Within the myriad forms the solitary body is revealed—why speak of pushing away or not pushing away?"
Zifang was thoroughly awakened and attained comprehension; he presented a verse and laid bare his sincerity.
From this point onward, those who retained intellectual understanding under the assemblies of various quarters gathered to him in droves. Initially, they were unbending and obstinate; the Master mildly stimulated them, and all gradually yielded and took it to heart. The visiting congregation never numbered fewer than a thousand.
The Master ascended the hall. The great assembly stood for a long time, whereupon he said to them, "Just dispersing like this—is there still the Buddha Dharma or not? Try to speak and see! If there is none, what are you doing coming here? If there is, it is also present in the great marketplace where crowds gather; what need is there to come here? You have each read the *Huanyuan guan*, the *Baimen yihai*, the *Huayan lun*, the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra*, and many such booklets—in which teaching is there this juncture? If there is, try to cite it and see! Could it be that in such a sūtra there are such words, and that this is this juncture? What connection does it have? Therefore, subtle words stagnate in the forefront of the mind, constantly becoming a field for conceptual deliberation; the boundary of reality dwells right before the eyes, turning instead into an object of names and characteristics. Moreover, how can one manage to turn it around? If you turn it around, how can you manage to make it right? Do you understand yet? Do not merely recite booklets like this—what use is there in it?"
A monk asked, "How may one disclose [it] so as to accord with the Way?"
The Master said, "At what time do you disclose [it] that it does not accord with the Way?"
[A monk] asked, "How is it when the six sense-fields do not recognize the sound?"
The Master said, "A whole herd of family kin of yours."
The Master also said, "How do you understand? Do not say that merely coming to ask like this is not permissible; you say 'the six sense-fields do not recognize the sound'—the eye field does not recognize the sound, the ear field does not recognize the sound. If fundamentally it exists, how can it be understood as not existing? The ancients said, 'Detaching from sound and form, one clings to sound and form; detaching from names and words, one clings to names and words.' Therefore, cultivation in the Heaven of Non-conception lasts through eighty thousand great kalpas, yet once one falls back and regresses, all matters remain just as before. This is entirely because of not knowing the fundamental reality. Cultivating in sequence for three lifetimes and sixty kalpas, four lifetimes and a hundred kalpas, and so forth right up to the fulfillment of the fruit over three incalculable kalpas—even so, an ancient person still said, 'It does not compare to a single thought of conditioned arising being non-arisen, which surpasses the views of those provisional students of the three vehicles and the like.' He also said, 'In the snap of a finger, eighty thousand gates are perfectly realized; in an instant, three incalculable kalpas are extinguished.' You must also investigate this through personal experience. If it is like this, how much energy is spent?"
A monk asked, "Leaving aside the finger for now, what is the moon?"
The Master said, "Which is the finger that you do not ask about?"
Another monk asked, "Leaving aside the moon for now, what is the finger?"
The Master said, "The moon."
[The monk] said, "The student asked about the finger; why did the Upādhyāya answer with the moon?"
The Master said, "Because you asked about the finger."
The ruler of the Southern Tang esteemed the Master's Way, welcoming him to reside at the Bao'en Chan Monastery, and bestowed on him the title of Chan Master Jinghui. The Master ascended the hall and addressed the assembly, saying, "The ancients said, 'I stand on the ground waiting for you to see it.' This mountain monk now sits on the ground waiting for you to see it. Is there principle or not? Which is close and which is distant? Try to judge and decide!"
[A monk] asked, "The great bell has just sounded, and the assembly gathers like clouds; we ask the Master to be like this."
The Master said, "How does the assembly's understanding compare to your understanding?"
[A monk] asked, "What is the house style of the ancient Buddhas?"
The Master said, "In what place have you not seen enough?"
[A monk] asked, "How should one conduct oneself during the twelve hours of the day so as to accord with the Way?"
The Master said, "The mind of taking and discarding turns into clever fabrication."
[A monk] asked, "When the ancients transmitted the robe, whom should it be recorded to?"
The Master said, "In what place did you see the ancients transmit the robe?"
[A monk] asked, "The worthy and holy of the ten directions all enter this school. What is this school?"
The Master said, "The worthy and holy of the ten directions all enter."
[A monk] asked, "What is a person who transcends the Buddhas?"
The Master said, "Conveniently called a Buddha."
[A monk] asked, "What sort of person can penetrate the two words 'sound and form'?"
The Master turned and said to the assembly, "Venerable elders, tell me, has this monk penetrated them yet or not? If you understand the point of this question, then penetrating sound and form is not difficult."
[A monk] asked, "Seeking the vision and knowledge of the Buddha, which path is the most direct shortcut?"
The Master said, "None surpasses this."
[A monk] asked, "How is it when the auspicious grass does not wither?"
The Master said, "Deceitful words."
[A monk] asked, "The great assembly gathers like clouds; we ask the Master to immediately cut through the net of doubts."
The Master said, "Consult inside the dormitory; consult inside the tea hall."
[A monk] asked, "How is it when the clouds part and the sun is seen?"
The Master said, "Deceitful words, truly."
[A monk] asked, "What is the place held in esteem by a śramaṇa?"
The Master said, "If there is the slightest fine hair held in esteem, one is not named a śramaṇa."
[A monk] asked, "Among the hundreds of thousands of millions of transformation bodies, what is the pure Dharmakāya?"
The Master said, "All of them are."
[A monk] asked, "Gathering together and coming forward—what is the Master's intention?"
The Master said, "It is an eye, it is not an eye."
[A monk] asked, "The whole body is meaning; we ask the Master to settle it once and for all."
The Master said, "Your meaning destroys itself."
[A monk] asked, "What is the mind of the ancient Buddhas?"
The Master said, "Flowing forth loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity."
[A monk] asked, "A room dark for a hundred years can be dispelled by a single lamp. What is the single lamp?"
The Master said, "Why discuss a hundred years?"
[A monk] asked, "What is the correct and true Way?"
The Master said, "A first vow also instructs you to practice; a second vow also instructs you to practice."
[A monk] asked, "What is the ground of the One True?"
The Master said, "In the ground, there is no One True."
[The monk] asked, "How can it stand preeminent?"
The Master said, "All the more has it no connection."
[A monk] asked, "What is an ancient Buddha?"
The Master said, "Even right now, there is nothing objectionable."
[A monk] asked, "How should one conduct oneself during the twelve hours of the day?"
The Master said, "Step by step tread upon it."
[A monk] asked, "Before the ancient mirror is opened, how does it manifestly illuminate?"
The Master said, "Why is there need for again and again?"
[A monk] asked, "What is the mysterious purport of all the Buddhas?"
The Master said, "You have it too."
[A monk] asked, "Receiving the teaching, it is said: 'From the foundation of non-abiding, all dharmas are established.' What is the foundation of non-abiding?"
The Master said, "Form arises before taking substance; name emerges before being named."
[A monk] asked, "The deceased monk's robe is chanted by the assembly of monks. Who chants the ancestral master's robe?"
The Master said, "What robe of the deceased monk can you chant?"
[A monk] asked, "How is it when the prodigal son returns to his native village?"
The Master said, "What will you present as an offering?"
[The monk] said, "There is not a single thing."
The Master said, "How will daily provisions be managed?"
The Master later moved to reside at Qingliang. He ascended the hall and instructed the assembly, saying, "Those who have left home simply need to follow the seasons and accord with the junctures, then when it is cold, it is cold; when it is hot, it is hot. If you wish to know the meaning of Buddha-nature, you should observe the causes and conditions of the seasons and junctures. From ancient to modern times, expedient means have not been few. Have you not seen Master Shitou who, due to reading the *Zhaolun*, which says: 'One who integrates the myriad things as oneself—is this not only the sage?', thereupon said: 'The sage has no self, yet there is nothing that is not himself'? He had a passage of words called the *Sandokai*, which concludes with: 'The mind of the Great Immortal of India does not surpass these words.' In between, he also only spoke according to the times. Sthaviras, now wishing to integrate the myriad things as oneself, it is because throughout the great earth there is not a single dharma to be seen. He also admonished people, saying: 'Do not spend the time in vain.' Just now I said to you sthaviras: simply following the seasons and according to the junctures will do. If you shift the time and miss the season, this is spending the time in vain. Within non-matter to form an understanding of matter—sthaviras, within non-matter to form an understanding of matter is precisely shifting the time and missing the season. And tell me, does taking matter as non-matter hit the mark or not? If you sthaviras understand in this way, there is simply no connection; it is precisely madly running to both extremes—what use is there? You sthaviras just keep to your lot and pass the time according to the seasons. Take care!"
[A monk] asked, "What is the house style of Qingliang?"
The Master said, "When you go to other places, simply say that you came to Qingliang."
[A monk] asked, "How can all dharmas be without opposition?"
The Master said, "What dharma opposes you, sthavira?"
[The monk] said, "What can be done about day and night?"
The Master said, "Idle words."
[A monk] asked, "How is it when one contemplates the body as illusory and transformative, and contemplates the interior likewise?"
The Master said, "Can it still be like that or not?"
[A monk] asked, "For immediate accord, one speaks only of non-duality. What are words of non-duality?"
The Master said, "Can a little bit more be added?"
[A monk] asked, "What is the Dharmakāya?"
The Master said, "This one is the Saṃbhogakāya/Nirmāṇakāya."
[A monk] asked, "What is the primary truth?"
The Master said, "What I say to you is the secondary truth."
The Master asked Abbot Xiu, "'A hair's breadth of difference, and heaven and earth are set apart.' How does the elder brother understand this?"
Xiu said, "A hair's breadth of difference, and heaven and earth are set apart."
The Master said, "How can understanding it like this do?"
Xiu said, "What about the Upādhyāya?"
The Master said, "A hair's breadth of difference, and heaven and earth are set apart."
Xiu then bowed. (Dongchan Qi commented: "When the mountain abbot responded like this, why was he not approved? And when he asked for further instruction, Fayan also only spoke like this, and then it passed. Tell me, where does the doubt and error lie? If you can see through this, it may be said that the sthavira has an origin.")
The Master was warming himself by the fire with Chan Master Wukong; picking up an incense spoon, he asked Wukong, "It cannot be called an incense spoon. What do you, elder brother, call it?"
Wukong said, "An incense spoon."
The Master did not approve. Only after more than twenty days did Wukong understand this phrase. (Dongchan Qi commented: "In the monasteries, all say: 'Wukong had good words; Fayan inevitably had this statement.' If understood like this, have they even dreamed of it yet? Aside from this, how else do you understand Fayan's intent? Since the sthavira does not call it an incense spoon, what do you call it? Offer another turning word to see! One must know the sthavira's lifelong eye.")
Because a monk called upon him for instruction before the noon meal, the Master pointed to the curtain with his finger. At that time, two monks went together to roll up the curtain. The Master said, "One gained, one lost." (Dongchan Qi commented: "How do you sthaviras understand this? Some say: 'Because he did not understand the purport, he immediately went to roll up the curtain.' There are also those who say: 'The one who was pointed to understood; the one who went without being pointed to lost.' Is understanding like this acceptable or not? Since such an understanding is not permitted, let me ask you sthaviras: which one gained and which one lost?")
Once Yunmen asked a monk, "Where have you come from?"
[The monk] said, "I come from Jiangxi."
Yunmen said, "Has that band of old worthies in Jiangxi stopped their sleep-talking yet?"
The monk had no reply. A monk asked the Master, "I wonder what Yunmen's intention was?"
The Master said, "Great and small Yunmen has been tested and seen through by this monk."
The Master asked a monk, "Where have you come from?"
[The monk] said, "I come from the bodhimaṇḍa."
The Master said, "Do you tally overtly or tally covertly?"
The monk was speechless.
The Master ordered a monk to fetch earth to fill the lotus basin. When the monk arrived with the earth, the Master asked, "Did you take it east of the bridge or west of the bridge?"
[The monk] said, "I took it east of the bridge."
The Master said, "Is it true or is it false?"
The Master asked a monk, "Where have you come from?"
[The monk] said, "I come from Bao'en."
The Master said, "Is the monastic assembly at peace?"
[The monk] said, "At peace."
The Master said, "Go drink tea."
The Master asked a monk, "Where have you come from?"
[The monk] said, "I come from Sizhou, having paid homage to the Great Saint."
The Master said, "Did he come out of the pagoda this year?"
[The monk] said, "He came out."
The Master then asked a monk standing beside him, "Do you say he reached Sizhou or did not reach Sizhou?"
The Master asked Elder Baozi, "The ancients said, 'Mountains and rivers have no obstruction; the bright light penetrates everywhere.' What is the light that penetrates everywhere?"
Zi said, "The sound of striking the gong on the eastern side." (Guizong Rou offered an alternative phrasing: "The Upādhyāya intends to create an obstruction.")
The Master pointed to a bamboo and asked a monk, "Do you still see it?"
[The monk] said, "I see it."
The Master said, "Does the bamboo come into the eye, or does the eye reach the bamboo?"
The monk said, "Neither is so at all." (Fadeng offered an alternative phrasing: "At that time, one should just widen one's eyes toward the Master." Guizong offered an alternative phrasing: "The Upādhyāya simply does not believe me.")
A layman presented the Master with a painted screen. After looking at it, the Master asked, "Is your hand skillful or is your mind skillful?"
[The layman] said, "The mind is skillful."
The Master said, "Which is your mind?"
The layman had no reply. (Guizong substituted for him: "Today this disciple instead acted rashly.")
A monk asked, "What is the second moon?"
The Master said, "The dense array of myriad forms."
[The monk] asked, "What is the first moon?"
The Master said, "The myriad forms in dense array."
The Master's teaching conditions prevailed in Jinling, where he presided over three great bodhimaṇḍas, expounding the purport day and night. At that time, monasteries in all quarters conformed to his transformative style, and those from foreign regions who admired his Dharma came from afar. The orthodox lineage of Xuansha flourished anew south of the Yangtze. The Master tuned faculties in accordance with things, banishing stagnation and polishing away dullness. Whenever the samādhis of the various quarters were brought up, whether entering the room to present understanding, or knocking to stimulate and request instruction, all were given medicine according to their disease, and those who attained awakening according to their capacities could not be counted.
On the seventeenth day of the seventh month in the fifth year of the Xiande era of the Zhou dynasty, a wuwu year, he manifested illness. The ruler of the state personally paid respects and made inquiries. On the fifth day of the intercalary month, he shaved his hair, bathed his body, took leave of the assembly, and passed away sitting in the full lotus posture. His countenance was as if alive. He was seventy-four years of age, with fifty-four rains retreats as an ordained monk. The monasteries below the city wall, equipped with formal decorum, led the procession. The ministers, from Li Jianxun on down, wore mourning dress to convey his complete body to Danyang Village in Jiangning County, where a stūpa was erected. He was posthumously named Chan Master Da Fayan ("Great Dharma Eye"); the stūpa was named Wuxiang ("Signless").
His Dharma heirs numbered fourteen individuals, including Deshao of Mount Tiantai (National Teacher of Wuyue), Wensui (Guiding Master of the Southern Tang), and Huiju (National Teacher of Goryeo). Having first emerged into the world, they were all honored and esteemed by princes and lords. Next were forty-nine individuals, including Longguang Taiqin and others, who later opened the Dharma and transformed their respective regions, as recounted in their own chapters. Later, because his disciple Xingyan, titled Guiding Master Xuanjue, requested it, he was re-conferred the posthumous title of Great Guiding Master Dazhizang ("Treasury of Great Wisdom"). The Dharma records from the three places, along with the verses, eulogies, inscriptions, records, and commentaries he composed, amounted to several tens of thousands of words. Students copied and disseminated them throughout the realm.
24.5
Chan Master Hongjin of Mount Qingxi in Xiangzhou (who once resided at Gukou in Dengzhou) was the first seat when he was at Dizang. One day, two monks made prostrations. Master Dizang said, "Both are mistaken." The two monks had nothing to say. They went down from the hall and sought further instruction from Mountain Master Xiu. Xiu said, "You are yourselves towering and imposing, yet you prostrate yourselves intending to ask another person. How is that not a mistake?" When the Master heard this, he did not agree. Xiu then asked, "I do not know what the sthavira would say." The Master said, "You are yourself deluded and ignorant; how can you act as a guide for others?" Indignant, Xiu went up to the Dharma hall to seek instruction from Dizang. Dizang pointed beneath the corridor and said, "The tenzo has gone into the storehouse." Xiu thereupon realised his fault. On another day, the Master asked Mountain Master Xiu, "Clearly knowing that birth is the nature of non-birth, why are you retained by birth?" Xiu said, "A bamboo shoot will ultimately become bamboo. Can it be used right now to make bamboo strips?" The Master said, "Later on you will awaken for yourself." Xiu said, "What Shaoxiu sees is only like this. What is the sthavira's intended meaning?" The Master said, "This is the supervisor's room; that is the tenzo's room." Xiu bowed in thanks. After the Master took up residence, a monk asked, "When the blind men touch the elephant, each describes a different aspect. If they suddenly meet someone with clear eyes, what then?" The Master said, "Just bring it forward to present to the various quarters." When the Master was walking in meditation, the monks followed him. He said to the assembly, "What words and phrases do the ancients have? Let us discuss them together." At that time, Sthavira Congyi came out from the assembly and was about to ask, when the Master said, "This blind ass!" Yi had a flowing breakthrough to awakening. (Yi later resided at Mount Tianping.)
24.6
Chan Master Xiufu Wukong of Qingliang Monastery in Shengzhou was a native of Beihai. His family name was Wang. He left home in his youth and received the precepts at nineteen. He once said to himself, "If I still remain attached to the expressed teaching, that is clinging to the raft. If I am to head toward frozen quiescence, I worry about falling into emptiness. Since I can neither advance nor retreat, letting go of both, where should I go?" He then travelled to seek out master lineage teachers, and his conditions brought him to Master Dizang (this is narrated in the chapter on Fayan). Later he succeeded Fayan in residing at Chongshou in Fuzhou. In the jiachen year, the ruler of Jiangnan founded the great Qingliang bodhimandala and invited him to dwell there. Ascending the hall, he instructed the assembly, saying: "As soon as the ancient sage was born, he walked seven paces all around, surveyed the four directions with his eyes, and said: 'Above the heavens and beneath the heavens, I alone am the most honored.' He already had this extraordinary skillful means. Just as for all of you sthaviras, when you were first born, what extraordinary thing did you have? Try to present it. If you say you had none, you turn your back on it and deny it to its face; if you say you had one, how will you convey news of it? Do you understand? Sthaviras, you fortunately have this extraordinary matter; why are you unaware of it? Take care." A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "You are a sentient being." The monk said, "Do you also approve?" The Master said, "This question is posed in vain." The monk asked, "What is the meaning of [the Patriarch's] coming from the West?" The Master said, "Do you say there is still any in this land?" The monk asked, "At the essential turning point, I beg the Master for a word." The Master said, "Take care." The monk asked, "What is the Way?" The Master said, "Originally there is not a single thing; where could dust gather?" The monk made prostrations. The Master said, "Do not understand it wrongly." The monk asked, "What is 'entering correct absorption in a single speck of dust'?" The Master said, "Form is emptiness." The monk said, "What is 'arising from samādhi in all dust specks'?" The Master said, "Emptiness is form." The monk asked, "I will not ask about anything else. What is the phrase of Wukong (awakening to emptiness)?" The Master said, "It is two phrases." The monk asked, "Before Niutou had seen the Fourth Patriarch, why did the hundred birds hold flowers in their beaks?" The Master said, "He had not seen the Fourth Patriarch." The monk said, "Why did they not hold flowers in their beaks after he saw him?" The Master said, "He had seen the Fourth Patriarch." The monk asked, "What is one's own matter?" The Master said, "How many places have you gone to ask people?" The monk asked, "What did the ancients attain so that they immediately ceased and rested?" The Master said, "What have you attained so that you do not cease and rest?" The monk asked, "What is the student's place of liberation?" The Master said, "A thousand kinds of comparisons cannot match it; ten thousand kinds of analogies cannot reach it." The monk said, "Please speak, Upādhyāya." The Master said, "It exists in ancient times, and it exists in the present." A monk asked, "What is the bodhi that meets the eyes before a deceased monk?" The Master said, "Ask the skull." Later someone asked, "What is the original source of all buddhas?" The Master said, "What do you call all buddhas?" A monk asked, "Raining flowers moves the earth, and the sound of thunder first arises. I do not know what the Upādhyāya is proclaiming today?" The Master said, "What did I say to the sthavira?" The monk said, "If so, then one has encountered Qingliang." The Master said, "Only if it is real will it do." A monk asked, "When the venomous dragon stirs boldly and the myriad forms are all the same, how is it?" The Master said, "Where did you get this opening question?" In his daily life, the Master dwelt in the abbot's quarters wearing only a single coarse sock. He frequently smiled at his fellow practitioner Fayan for composing so many verses. In the eighth year of the Tianfu era of the Jin dynasty, a guimao year, on the first day of the tenth month, he sent a monk to the Bao'en Monastery to ask Chan Master Fayan to come to the abbot's quarters for his final instructions. He also dispatched a letter to bid farewell to the ruler of the state, setting his entry into quiescence for the zi hour on the night of the third day. The ruler of the state repeatedly sent messengers to inquire after him and ordered that the bell of the monastery be struck when the time came. When the moment arrived, the great assembly gathered together. The Master sat upright, admonished the assembly, saying, "Do not squander the passing light of time!" and as his words ended, announced his entry into quiescence. At that time, hearing the bell, the ruler of the state climbed a high terrace to pay homage to Qingliang from afar, feeling profound grief and admiration, and offered sacrifices. After the cremation, the relics (śarīra) were collected and a stupa was erected.
24.7
Chan Master Shaoxiu, Mountain Master of Mount Longji in Fuzhou, initially practiced together with the Great Chan Master Fayan under Dizang. What he had attained he considered to have reached the ultimate. When they took leave together and arrived at Jianyang, while conversing on the road, Fayan suddenly asked, "An ancient said: 'In the midst of the myriad forms, the solitary body is revealed.' Does this dismiss the myriad forms or not dismiss the myriad forms?" The Master said, "It does not dismiss the myriad forms." Fayan said, "Why speak of dismissing or not dismissing?" Confused, the Master went back to Dizang. Dizang asked, "You have not been gone long; why have you returned?" The Master said, "There is a matter not yet resolved; how could I shrink from traversing mountains and rivers?" Dizang said, "Your having traversed so many mountains and rivers is not bad either." The Master, not grasping his meaning, then asked, "An ancient said: 'In the midst of the myriad forms, the solitary body is revealed.' What is the intended meaning?" Dizang said, "Do you say that the ancient dismissed the myriad forms or did not dismiss the myriad forms?" The Master said, "He did not dismiss them." Dizang said, "That makes two." Startled, the Master pondered deeply and then asked, "I do not know whether the ancient dismissed the myriad forms or did not dismiss the myriad forms?" Dizang said, "What do you call the myriad forms?" The Master was only then awakened. He took leave of Dizang again and went to see Fayan. Fayan's words and intended meaning were identical from start to finish with Dizang's instruction. Therefore, Fayan first dwelt at Chongshou in Fuzhou and greatly promoted the tradition of the school. The Master later resided at Mount Longji and did not strive to gather disciples, yet students rushed to him. The Master ascended the hall and instructed the assembly, saying: "Fully endowed with ordinary beings' phenomena, ordinary beings do not know it. Fully endowed with sages' phenomena, sages do not understand it. If sages understood it, they would be ordinary beings; if ordinary beings knew it, they would be sages. These two phrases are one principle with two meanings. If someone can distinguish them, it will not prevent them from having an entry into the Buddha Dharma. If they cannot distinguish them, let them not say they have no doubt." A monk asked, "Seeing form is immediately seeing mind. An exposed pillar is form; what is mind?" The Master said, "Since you fortunately do not understand, do not feign clarity." A monk asked, "How does one escape the three realms?" The Master said, "Your asking like this does not prevent you from escaping the three realms." The monk asked, "When it is proclaimed right in the light of day, who is the one who grasps it?" The Master said, "It is not that you do not grasp it." The monk asked, "What is the master of the ten thousand dharmas?" The Master said, "What do you call the ten thousand dharmas?" A monk asked, "The teaching says: 'Sumeru contains a mustard seed, and a mustard seed contains Sumeru.' What is Sumeru?" The Master said, "It pierces through your mind." The monk said, "What is the mustard seed?" The Master said, "It blocks up your eyes." The monk said, "How is it contained?" The Master said, "Bring Sumeru and the mustard seed here." The monk said, "Where are your previous words?" The Master said, "What previous words were there?" The Master at times instructed the assembly, saying: "When sound and form do not reach, the disease lies in seeing and hearing. When words and explanations fall short, the fault lies in the lips and tongue." A monk asked, "Apart from sound and form, please speak, Upādhyāya." The Master said, "Ask from within sound and form." A monk asked, "What is the student's mind?" The Master said, "Who is asking like this?" A monk asked, "When the kalpa fire blazes fiercely and the great chiliocosm is entirely destroyed, I wonder whether this one is also destroyed or not?" The Master said, "It is not destroyed." The monk said, "Why is it not destroyed?" The Master said, "Because it is identical to the great chiliocosm." The monk asked, "What is the bodhi that meets the eyes?" The Master said, "It intentionally makes people sorrowful." The monk asked, "What is the meaning of [the Patriarch's] coming from the West?" The Master said, "Wait until you ask about the meaning of coming from the West, and I will tell you." The monk asked, "In the great night, what serves as an eye?" The Master said, "Darkness." The monk asked, "When not separated by a fine hair, why can one not see it by peering?" The Master said, "An expert playing with shadows!" The monk asked, "How was it before the ancient mirror was polished?" The Master said, "It illuminated and pierced through heaven and earth." The monk said, "How is it after it is polished?" The Master said, "Black as lacquer." The monk asked, "What is the universal eye?" The Master said, "A fine hair cannot be seen by peering." The monk said, "Why can it not be seen by peering?" The Master said, "Because that eye is too large." The monk asked, "What kind of person is one who is utterly ruined?" The Master said, "When the kalpa is destroyed, he has never moved." The monk said, "Does this person still know there is Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "If he knows there is Buddha Dharma, he is entirely turned upside down." The monk said, "How can one not be turned upside down?" The Master said, "One must directly know there is Buddha Dharma." The monk said, "What is Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "Utter ruin." The monk asked, "What is the student's constantly present mind?" The Master said, "Have you ever asked Heyu?" The monk said, "The student does not understand." The Master said, "If you do not understand, ask Caoshan at the end of the summer." The Master composed more than sixty verses, as well as inscriptions, treatises, and summaries of various sutras, which all circulated in the world.
24.8
Chan Master Xiu of Tianlong Monastery in Hangzhou (who had earlier resided at Suifeng) ascended the hall and addressed the assembly, saying: "Sthaviras, how much is there of nothing-to-do? In the twelve periods of the day, in what world do you settle your body and establish your life? Examine carefully and see. Why do you not seek a place to rest? For what reason do you instead examine other people? If you go on like this, you have already fallen into the second order." At that time, a monk asked, "Accepting the Master's words, 'If you go on like this, you have already fallen into the second order'—supposing a student comes forward without doing so at all, how does the Master distinguish him?" The Master said, "You are indeed an expert." The monk said, "If so, then today I have encountered the Master." The Master said, "For now, do not feign clarity." The monk asked, "Accepting the ancient's words, 'Both are mistaken,' I wonder what the ancient's intended meaning was?" The Master said, "Why do you not examine and blame yourself?" The monk said, "If so, then gods and humans have something to rely on." The Master said, "You are undeniably clever." The state conferred upon him the title Great Master Qinghui.
24.9
Chan Master Chuanyin of Yanqing Monastery in Luzhou. A monk asked, "Seeing form is immediately seeing mind. A lantern is form; which one is mind?" The Master said, "You do not understand the ancient's meaning." The monk said, "What is the ancient's meaning?" The Master said, "The lantern is mind." The monk asked, "'If one can transform things, one is identical to the Tathāgata.' I wonder what things are transformed?" The Master said, "What did you say?" The monk was about to speak further, when the Master said, "This lacquer bucket!"
24.10
Chan Master Shou'an of Nantai on Mount Heng first resided at Wukong Monastery in Jiangzhou. A monk asked, "Everyone has the road to Chang'an; how does one arrive there?" The Master said, "Where are you right now?" The monk asked, "What is the meaning of [the Patriarch's] coming from the West?" The Master said, "What meaning is it?" The monk asked, "What is the original body?" The Master said, "What body is it?" The monk asked, "When all is quiet with nothing to rely on, how is it?" The Master said, "What about the quiet one?" The Master then composed a verse, saying:
24.11
"Sitting quietly at Nantai with a burner of incense, / Throughout the day motionless, the myriad matters forgotten. / It is not that I halt the mind to eliminate delusive thoughts; / It is solely because there is nothing to ponder."
24.12
Dharma Heir of the Former Great Master Qingfa Qifu of Xiancong in Fuzhou:
24.13
Great Master Dongming Zhenjue of Xiancong in Fuzhou. A monk asked, "Seizing the clouds does not rely on the convenience of wind and thunder; how can one penetrate the body through the roaring waves?" The Master said, "Why abandon the root to pursue the branches?"
24.14
Great Master Guangfa Xingqin of Fuqing in Quanzhou first resided at Yuntai Cloister. The Master went up to the hall and said to the assembly: "Is there anyone who can perceive it? If someone can perceive it, what sort of worn-out straw sandal from a lake is it? If you cannot perceive it, upon falling to the ground it makes a golden sound. You have stood for a long time without anything the matter." A monk asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "All of you sthaviras, everyone speak for yourselves." [The monk] asked, "What is discussing the truth and countering the mundane?" The Master said, "What is a hired laborer asking?" [The monk] said, "What is according with the mundane and going against the truth?" The Master said, "Go drink tea." [The monk] asked, "What is before Dīpaṃkara?" The Master said, "After Dīpaṃkara." [The monk] said, "What is after Dīpaṃkara?" The Master said, "Before Dīpaṃkara." [The monk] said, "What is the exact time of Dīpaṃkara?" The Master said, "Go drink tea." [The monk] asked, "What is the second moon?" The Master said, "You ask, and I answer." The Master asked a monk, "What sūtra do you recite?" [The monk] said, "The Lotus Sūtra." The Master said, "Both of us have fallen into words."
24.15
Dharma Heir of the Former Great Master Chongji of Tianlong in Hangzhou
24.16
Chan Master Lingguang of Seorak in Goryeo. A monk asked, "What is the upādhyāya's house style?" The Master said, "Clearly remember it." [The monk] asked, "What is the root source of all phenomena?" The Master said, "Thank you for pointing it out."
24.17
Dharma Heir of the Former Chan Master Guotai Tao of Wuzhou
24.18
Chan Master Baosheng of Qiyun in Wuzhou. A monk asked, "What is the environment of Qiyun?" The Master said, "The Dragon Pool is clear to the bottom; the black turtle receives a succession of renown." [The monk] said, "Could it be just this?" The Master said, "The Way is high, dragons and tigers submit; the Eight Immortals join in Great Peace." [The monk] asked, "What is the water of Qiyun?" The Master said, "The Dragon Pool is always clear to the bottom; if you intend to ask, then there are waves." [The monk] said, "Could it be just this?" The Master said, "In the ancient hall there is no incense smoke; who can distinguish clear from turbid?" [The monk] said, "I wonder what it is like in the deepest depths?" The Master said, "Ācārya, if you wish to know the deepest depths, beneath your feet the arising of clouds must be completely cut off."
24.19
Dharma Heir of the Former Chan Master Daoxi of Bailong Cloister on Shengshan in Fuzhou
24.20
Chan Master Xuanzhi of Guangping in Fuzhou once resided at Huangbo. He went up to the hall and instructed the assembly, saying: "Is there anyone who can bear witness? If someone bears witness, they will also avoid letting down the ancestral masters of old and burying those who come after. If it is pursuing words and counting phrases, the great canon of scriptures is clear. If it is within the gate of the ancestral school, where does any oddity lie? Speaking like this is also mere sidelong glance talk." A monk asked, "What is the environment of Guangping?" The Master said, "The earth upholds the peak of the famous mountain; the mountain stream joins the sea water, clear." [The monk] said, "Who is the person within the environment?" The Master said, "You ask, and I answer." [The monk] asked, "What is the substance of the Dharmakāya?" The Master said, "Vast, open empty space, devoid of spot or flaw." [The monk] said, "What is the thing within the substance?" The Master said, "A wheel of bright moon scattering across the autumn river." [The monk] said, "I wonder whether substance and thing are divided or not?" The Master said, "What did you say just now?" [The monk] said, "If so, then they are not divided." The Master said, "The ear-pierced foreign monk nods and smiles."
24.21
Chan Master Qingmu of Bailong on Shengshan in Fuzhou. A monk asked, "What is Bailong's single function of secret operation?" The Master said, "What do you use every day?" [The monk] said, "If so, then turning an ear in listening was in vain." The Chan master then shouted him out. [A monk] asked, "All sentient beings use it daily without knowing it. What is that daily use?" The Master said, "How could another answer suffice for you?" [The monk] asked, "Without dwelling on what came before, please speak the single phrase prior to sound, Master." The Master said, "Could it be that you cannot discern it?"
24.22
Chan Master Zhi'en of Lingfeng in Fuzhou. A monk asked, "What is the hair-severing sword?" The Master said, "I step forward, you step back." [The monk] said, "If so, then this student loses body and life." The Master said, "Without striking the water, the fish startles itself." [The monk] asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Who else could it be?" [The monk] said, "Since it is so, why is there difference between delusion and delusion?" The Master said, "Just do not lose your sheep yourself; why weep at the crossroads?" [The monk] asked, "What is the environment of Lingfeng?" The Master said, "Ten thousand folds of green mountains arranged as in a banquet dish; two ribbons of green water drawn as in a painting." [The monk] said, "Who is the person within the environment?" The Master said, "Bright and distinct, dense and secret; dense and secret, bright and distinct."
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- 景德傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese