景德傳燈錄 24.4

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.