景德傳燈錄 24.7

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.