景德傳燈錄 25

English (machine translation) 25

Language: English

25.1

Part One of the Ninth Generation of Chan Master Xingsi of Mount Qingyuan in Jizhou
Part One of the Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Wenyi of Qingliang in Jinling: Thirty Persons
State Preceptor Deshao of Mount Tiantai
Chan Master Huiming of Bao'en Monastery in Hangzhou
Great Master Zhiyi of Luohan in Zhangzhou
Chan Master Daoqin of Zhangyi in Jinling
Chan Master Kuangyi of Bao'en in Jinling
Instructor Wensui of Baoci in Jinling
Chan Master Shouren of Luohan in Zhangzhou
Chan Master Daoqian of Yongming Monastery in Hangzhou
Chan Master Liangkuang of Mount Huang in Fuzhou
Chan Master Qingsong of Lingyin in Hangzhou
Chan Master Xuanze of Bao'en in Jinling
Instructor Xingyan of Baoci in Jinling
Chan Master Zhiyun of Jingde in Jinling
State Preceptor Huiju of Daobong in Goryeo
Chan Master Taiqin of Qingliang in Jinling
Chan Master Shaoyan of Baota Monastery in Hangzhou
Chan Master Fa'an of Bao'en in Jinling
Chan Master Qichou of Chongshou in Fuzhou
Chan Master Qingxi of Yunju in Hongzhou
Chan Master Daochang of Baizhang in Hongzhou
Chan Master Jingzun of Bore in Tiantai
Chan Master Cezhen of Guizong on Mount Lu
Chan Master Shaoxian of Tong'an in Hongzhou
Chan Master Huiyuan of Qixian on Mount Lu
Chan Master Congxian of Guanyin in Hongzhou
Chan Master Yangui of Chang'an in Luzhou
Chan Master Xifeng of Zhengqin in Changzhou
Chan Master Qilun of Xingshan in the Capital of Luoyang
Chan Master Qi of Xinxing in Hongzhou
Chan Master Kuangda of Ciyun in Runzhou
(The above thirty persons are recorded in this work)

25.2

Part One of the Ninth Generation of Chan Master Qingyuan Xingsi

25.3

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Qingliang Wenyi of Jinling

25.4

National Preceptor Deshao of Mount Tiantai was a native of Longquan in Chuzhou. His lay surname was Chen, and his mother was of the Ye family. She dreamed that a white light touched her body, whereupon she became pregnant. When he was born, there were many marvelous portents. When he was fifteen years old, an Indian monk urged him to leave home. At seventeen, he studied under a master at Longgui Monastery in his home prefecture. At eighteen, he received the full precepts at Kaiyuan Monastery in Xinzhou. During the Kaiping era of the Liang dynasty, he traveled on pilgrimage and went to Mount Touzi, where he met Chan Master Datong; this was the beginning of his aspiration [for awakening]. Next, he visited Upādhyāya Dun of Longya and asked, "Why cannot one approach the mighty and venerable one?" Longya said, "Like fire and fire." [Deshao] said, "What happens if it suddenly encounters water?" Longya said, "You do not understand." The master asked again, "Heaven does not cover it; earth does not support it. What is the principle of this?" Longya said, "It should be just so." The master did not understand the meaning and requested instruction once more. Longya said, "Practitioner, later on you will understand on your own." Next, he asked Shushan, "Whose realm is a hundred wraps and a thousand folds?" Shushan said, "Twisting a miscanthus rope to the left to bind a ghost." The master went on to say, "Please, Master, speak of that which does not fall into past or present." [Shushan] said, "I will not speak." The master said, "Why do you not speak?" [Shushan] said, "Within this, existence and nonexistence are not distinguished." The master said, "Now, Master, you have spoken well." Shushan was startled by him. The master thus traveled to and studied under fifty-four kalyāṇamitras, but with none did conditions for the Dharma match. Finally, he arrived in Linchuan and visited Chan Master Jinghui. As soon as Jinghui saw him, he regarded him as a vessel of great depth. Because the master had traveled extensively through the monasteries, he was also weary of questioning and searching, and merely followed along with the assembly. One day, when Jinghui ascended the hall, a monk asked, "What is a single drop of water from the source of Cao[xi]?" Jinghui said, "It is a single drop of water from the source of Cao[xi]." The monk withdrew bewildered. Beside the seat, the master was suddenly and completely awakened; the doubts and obstructions of his whole life melted away like ice. He then reported his awakening to Jinghui. Jinghui said, "In the future, you will be the teacher of a king of the realm, causing the ancestral path to shine gloriously; I am not your equal." From then on, whenever the diverse sayings from various quarters and the profound locks of ancient and modern times were resolved by him, not the slightest trace remained. Soon he returned to his home circuit and traveled to Mount Tiantai. Seeing the remnants of Chan Master Zhiyi, the Great Teacher, it was as if it were his former dwelling. Moreover, the master shared the same surname as the Great Teacher; people of the time called him his later incarnation. At first, he stayed at Baisha. At that time, King Zhongyi of Wuyue, who as a prince was governing Taizhou, heard of the master's renown and invited him to ask about the Way. The master said to him, "When you become the sovereign in the future, do not forget the Buddha's kindness." In the first year of the Qianyou era of the Han dynasty, the year wushen, the king succeeded to the throne; he sent an envoy to welcome him and offered him the etiquette of a disciple. There was a certain Xiji who transmitted the teachings of Zhiyi of Tiantai, who repeatedly said to the master, "The teachings of the Great Teacher have receded with the passage of years, and the texts have mostly been scattered and lost. Now in the kingdom of Silla, the texts are very complete. Were it not for the Upādhyāya's compassionate power, who could obtain them?" The master thereupon reported this to King Zhongyi. The king dispatched an envoy bearing the master's letter to that country, and after copying and completing the texts, the envoy returned. From that time until now, they have flourished widely in the world. The master ascended the hall and said: "The skillful means of the ancient sages are like the sands of the Ganges. The ancestral master said, 'It is neither the wind nor the banner that moves; it is the minds of the virtuous ones that move.' This is the dharma-gate of the supreme mind-seal. We are guests under the ancestral master's gate; how should we understand the ancestral master's meaning? Do not say that the wind and banner do not move, and that your minds move delusionally. Do not say that without setting aside the wind and banner, one directly penetrates through the wind and banner. Do not say, 'What is it at the place where the wind and banner move?' Some say, 'Illuminating the mind by attaching to things; one need not recognize things.' Some say, 'Form is emptiness.' Some say, 'Neither the wind nor the banner moves; one must have a subtle understanding.' What connection do such interpretations have with the ancestral master's intended meaning? Since such understanding is not permitted, all you sthaviras should naturally realize this. If you awaken thoroughly right here, what dharma-gate would not be clear? The skillful means of the hundreds of thousands of Buddhas would be understood at once. What further doubt could there be? Therefore the ancients said, 'When one is understood, a thousand are clear; when one is deluded, ten thousand are confused.' Could it be that you sthaviras understand one today and fail to understand it again tomorrow? Could it be that there is a transcendental matter that is difficult to understand, and a part that inferior ordinary people cannot understand? If one holds such views, even after passing through dust-like kalpas, one will merely exhaust one's spirit and wear out one's thoughts, without achieving anything right." A monk asked, "The extinguished aspect of all dharmas cannot be expressed in words. How does the Upādhyāya instruct people?" The master said, "Go to the various quarters and ask again." [The monk] said, "If so, then it is completely cut off from words and phrases." The master said, "Awake within a dream." [A monk] asked, "When both oar and scull have stopped, how does one reach the other shore?" The master said, "I congratulate you on your whole life." [A monk] asked, "What are the three kinds of sick people?" The master said, "You have asked just right." [A monk] asked, "What is the mind of the ancient Buddhas?" The master said, "This question is not weak." [A monk] asked, "What are the six characteristics?" The master said, "It is just you." [A monk] asked, "What is skillful means?" The master said, "This question is very appropriate." [A monk] asked, "When a deceased monk passes away, where does he go?" The master said, "In the end I will not tell you." [The monk] said, "Why do you not tell me?" The master said, "I fear you will not understand." [A monk] asked, "'One flower opens with five petals, and the fruit naturally forms.' What is 'one flower opens with five petals'?" The master said, "The sun rises and the moon is bright." [The monk] said, "What is 'the fruit naturally forms'?" The master said, "Heaven and earth are dazzlingly bright." [A monk] asked, "What is the sorrow-free Buddha?" The master said, "It worries people to death." [A monk] asked, "From what do all the mountains, rivers, and the great earth arise?" The master said, "From where does this question come?" [A monk] asked, "What is the frequently arising mind?" The master said, "How can it be concealed?" [A monk] asked, "What is the second moon?" The master said, "The place it comes from is very clear." [The monk] said, "Why do I not understand?" The master said, "What do you call the second moon?" [A monk] asked, "What is the eye of a śramaṇa?" The master said, "Black as lacquer." [A monk] asked, "What happens when news is completely cut off?" The master said, "Thank you for pointing it out." [A monk] asked, "What is 'transforming things is then identical to the Tathāgata'?" The master said, "What do you call things?" [The monk] said, "If so, then it is identical to the Tathāgata." The master said, "Do not bark like a jackal." [A monk] asked, "Prince Nezha severed his flesh to return it to his mother and severed his bones to return them to his father, and afterward expounded the Dharma for his parents upon a lotus flower. I wonder, what is the Prince's body?" The master said, "Everyone sees the sthavira." [The monk] asked, "If so, then the great chiliocosm shares the same nature of suchness." The master said, "Vaguely resembling a tune that was just worth listening to, / But blown away by the wind into another melody." [A monk] asked, "When the six faculties are all extinguished, why are principle and phenomena not clear?" The master said, "Where are they not clear?" [The monk] said, "If so, then principle and phenomena are both as such." The master said, "Where are your previous words?" The master at times addressed the assembly, saying: "In general, with words and phrases, you must completely cut off any leakage before you can attain it." At that time, a monk asked, "What is a phrase that completely cuts off leakage?" The master said, "Your mouth resembles your nostrils." [A monk] asked, "What is not realizing a single dharma?" The master said, "Wait until there are words." [The monk] said, "What is realizing all dharmas?" The master said, "Why are you drunk?" The master at times addressed the assembly, saying: "Just as this mountain monk responds to you sthaviras in this way, how do you comprehend it? Could it be genuine assistance? Could it be that right at such a moment, there is not a single dharma that can be realized? Could it be knowing where he comes from? Could it be the entire body being manifested? Do not misunderstand! Holding such views is called clinging to grass and attaching to trees; it is as far apart from the Buddha-Dharma as heaven is from earth. Even if your answers to questions and your ready eloquence flow like a suspended river, they only amount to upside-down views. If you only value answering questions and ready eloquence, what difficulty is there? I only fear it will bring no benefit to people and instead turn into deception and error. Sthaviras, regarding what you have learned from the past, your ready eloquence, question-and-answer, memorization, and explanation of principles are extremely abundant. Why do the doubts in your minds not cease? When you hear of the skillful means of the ancient sages, you especially fail to understand. It is simply because there is much emptiness and little substance. Sthaviras, why do you not see through it all at once beneath your own heels and see what principle it is? How many dharma-gates are there that create doubts and seek understanding for you sthaviras? Only then will you know that what you learned previously was merely knowledge of the livelihood within the realm of the aggregates, the root source of birth and death. Therefore the ancients said, 'If seeing and hearing are not shed, it is like the moon in the water.' Nothing further; take care." The master had a gāthā to instruct the assembly, saying:

25.5

"The summit of Tongxuan Peak
Is not the human realm.
Outside the mind there are no dharmas;
The green mountains fill the eyes."

25.6

Later, at Prajñā Monastery, the master opened the hall and expounded the Dharma in twelve assemblies. On the day he first opened the hall for the first assembly, he instructed the assembly, saying: "A single hair swallows the ocean, yet the nature of the ocean is not diminished; a tiny mustard seed is thrown onto the tip of a blade, yet the sharpness of the blade does not waver. Seeing and not seeing, understanding and not understanding—only I know." Thereupon he offered a verse, saying:

25.7

"Having briefly descended the lofty peak, it is already manifested;
Prajñā, perfect and penetrating, pervades the ten directions.
Humans and devas, vast and boundless, are without distinction;
The Dharma realm, vertical and horizontal, is everywhere revealed."

25.8

"Take care." When the Master ascended the hall, a monk asked, "I receive [the teaching] of the ancients who said: 'If one sees prajñā, one is bound by prajñā; if one does not see prajñā, one is also bound by prajñā.' Since one has seen prajñā, why is one bound?" The Master said, "What do you say prajñā sees?" The student asked, "If one does not see prajñā, why is one bound?" The Master said, "Where do you say prajñā is not seen?" He also said, "If one sees prajñā, it is not called prajñā; if one does not see prajñā, it is also not called prajñā. How can seeing or not seeing prajñā be spoken of? Therefore people say: 'If a single dharma is lacking, it does not become the Dharma-body; if a single dharma is left over, it does not become the Dharma-body. If there is a single dharma, it does not become the Dharma-body; if there is not a single dharma, it does not become the Dharma-body.' This is the true principle of prajñā, elders." Another monk asked, "Having just left the abbot's quarters of Ningfeng to come sit in the bodhimanda of Prajñā [Monastery], pray, Master, a phrase on today's house style." The Master said, "In what way has it been deficient to you?" The student said, "If so, then the thunderous voice shakes heaven and earth, and everyone is moistened by the grace." The Master said, "Fortunately, you have not understood; for now, do not stick your head out. Sticking your head out will not do. Sthaviras, verify this together so that the Dharma may long abide and the land may be at peace. Take care."

At the second assembly, the Master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "I receive [the teaching] from the scriptures saying: 'Returning to the source, the nature is without duality; skillful means have many gates.' What is the nature that returns to the source?" The Master said, "You ask, I answer." The student asked, "What are the gates of skillful means?" The Master said, "You answer, I ask." The student asked, "How should one approach?" The Master said, "Why be topsy-turvy?" Another monk asked, "'One body is immeasurable bodies, and immeasurable bodies are one body.' What is the immeasurable body?" The Master said, "One body." The student said, "If so, then what was formerly at Vulture Peak is now personally witnessed." The Master said, "When the principle is fitting, then act." He also said, "The Buddhas of the three periods simultaneously bear witness to you sthaviras. How do you sthaviras understand? If you understand, time does not shift; not the slightest hair can be moved or changed. Why is this? Because the three boundaries of past, future, and present are the sthavira. And the sthavira is not the three boundaries. The abundant rain falling on the great ocean—every single drop is full. The empty nature of a single dust mote wholly gathers the Dharma-realm. Take care."

At the third assembly, the Master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "The fourfold assembly gathers like clouds, humans and devas pay homage. Beholding your venerable face, we wish you to expound prajñā." The Master said, "Keep it clearly in mind." The student said, "The Master expounds the wonderful Dharma: may the king live ten thousand years and the people be at peace!" The Master said, "Who told you so?" The student said, "It is naturally like this." The Master said, "You are clever." Another monk asked, "The Buddhas of the three periods do not know it is there; wildcats and white oxen, however, know it is there. Since they are the Buddhas of the three periods, why do they not know it is there?" The Master said, "Rather, it is you who know it is there." The student asked, "Why do wildcats and white oxen know it is there?" The Master said, "Where do you see the Buddhas of the three periods?" Another monk asked, "I receive [the teaching] from the scriptures saying: 'The eye does not see visible forms, and the mind does not know phenomena.' What is it that the eye does not see visible forms?" The Master said, "Rather, the ear sees." The student asked, "What is it that the mind does not know phenomena?" The Master said, "The eye knows." The student said, "If so, then the paths of seeing and hearing are cut off, and sounds and forms clamour." The Master said, "Who told you so?" He also said, "All questions and answers meet like the points of needles, without the slightest discrepancy. There is no matter that does not penetrate; there is no principle that is not complete. This is truly because all words, all samādhis—horizontal and vertical, deep and shallow, hidden and manifest, going and coming—are the gates of the true mark of the Buddhas. Just verify it right now in this very moment. Take care."

At the fourth assembly, the Master ascended the hall and brought up: "An ancient said: 'What is Chan? The three realms, unbroken. What is the Way? The ten directions, boundless.' Why did he say the three realms are unbroken? Where is the principle of the ten directions being boundless? Do you want to understand? Block your eyes, block your ears, block your tongue, body, and mind; there is no empty gap, no place to turn around. How do you sthaviras understand? Horizontal will not do; vertical will not do. Giving rein will not do; taking away will not do. There is no place to apply effort, and no place to make arrangements. If you understand like this, only then will you understand that the dharma-gate cuts off selection, and all words cut off leakage. Once a monk asked: 'What are words that cut off leakage?' I told him: 'The mouth is like nostrils—very good, sthavira!' Understanding like this, naturally not a breeze can get through. If one knows that the entire worlds of the ten directions are the diamond eye, there is nothing further. Take care."

At the fifth assembly, the Master ascended the hall. A monk asked, saying, "The realm is at peace, the great king has long life: what is the king?" The Master said, "The sun dawns, the moon shines." The student asked, "How should one comprehend this?" The Master said, "Who is the student?" He also said, "'The realm is at peace, the great king has long life, the country is prosperous and happy, free from disasters'—these are Buddha's words; ancient does not change into present. A single word of non-shifting can settle the ancient and settle the present. Understand it well, elders!" Another monk asked, "I receive [the saying] of the ancients who said: 'There is a thing prior to heaven and earth; formless, originally silent and solitary.' What is the thing prior to heaven and earth?" The Master said, "Not identical, not combined." The student asked, "What is 'formless, originally silent and solitary'?" The Master said, "Who asked about prior to heaven and earth?" The student said, "If so, then 'wandering alone through the tranquil forest.'" The Master said, "Why speak nonsense?" He also said, "The Buddha-Dharma is not this kind of principle. Do you want to understand? Only when words emerge not as sounds, and what is before you is not things, will you begin to understand: 'The realm is at peace, the great king has long life.' You have stood long; take care."

At the sixth assembly, the Master ascended the hall and instructed the assembly, saying: "The Buddha-Dharma is ready-made, completely endowed. An ancient said: 'Round as great empty space, lacking nothing, having nothing in excess.' If it is like this, then who lacks, who has in excess, who is right, who is wrong, who understands, and who does not understand? Therefore it is said: going east is also the sthavira; going west is also the sthavira; going south is also the sthavira; going north is also the sthavira. By what does the sthavira become east, west, south, and north? If you understand, naturally the path of seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing is cut off, and all phenomena appear before you. Why is this so? Because the Dharma-body has no form, yet whatever meets the eye is form; prajñā has no knowledge, yet responding to conditions it illuminates. Sthaviras, understand this thoroughly all at once! What should sons of the home-leaving do? This is the inherently existing principle, not something beyond one's lot. 'Knowing the mind and reaching the fundamental source—hence called a śramaṇa.' If you know the mind shining brightly, truly there is not the slightest obstruction. Sthaviras, you have stood long; take care."

At the seventh assembly, the Master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "'To enter the ocean of the unconditioned, first board the ship of prajñā.' What is the ship of prajñā?" The Master said, "Constantly having nowhere to abide." "What is the ocean of the unconditioned?" The Master said, "For now, understand the ship of prajñā." Another monk asked, "An ancient worthy said: 'Climbing to heaven does not borrow a ladder; throughout the earth there is no road to walk.' What is climbing to heaven without using a ladder?" The Master said, "Leaving not a thread or hair of ground." The student said, "What is throughout the earth having no road to walk?" The Master said, "What did I just say to you?" The Master also said, "Hundreds of thousands of samādhi gates, hundreds of thousands of supernatural power gates, hundreds of thousands of wonderful function gates—none can escape from within the ocean of prajñā. Why is this? Because upon the basis of non-abiding, all dharmas are established. Therefore it is said: arising and ceasing, going and coming, heterodox and orthodox, movement and stillness, thousand transformations and myriad permutations—this is the Buddhas' great samādhi gate, nothing surpasses this. Sthaviras, all of you investigate it together to lengthen the lifespan of the Buddha-Dharma. Take care."

At the eighth assembly, the Master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "The World-Honoured One had the correct Dharma eye and entrusted it to Mahākāśyapa. When Kāśyapa was in the Pippala Cave, to whom did he entrust it?" The Master said, "Who are you telling me to speak to?" The student said, "If so, then the entrustment on Vulture Peak is no different from today." The Master said, "Where do you see Vulture Peak?" Another monk asked, "The treasure seal of Jinghui was personally transmitted by the upādhyāya; I wonder, to whom should it be entrusted in today's assembly?" The Master said, "A rumbling drum: strike one end, and both ends sound." The student said, "If so, then the thousand sages are of the same company; past and present are no different." The Master said, "The waves of the river of Chan are calm; seeking the water, one loses the source." Another monk, Qingyu, said, "The emperor has sent a summons, and the Master fulfills the king's kindness. In this prajñā assembly, please, Master, chant and proclaim." The Master said, "Keep it clearly in mind." The student said, "If so, then the cloud terrace and jeweled nets together expound the wonderful sound." The Master said, "Where is Qingyu?" The student said, "The Dharma King's Dharma is like this." The Master said, "Who bears witness?" He also said, "The entrustment on Vulture Peak is clear. Sthaviras, verify it all at once! If you verify it, there is no other principle; it is just right now. For instance, in the great emptiness, when the sun is bright or clouds are dark, the mountains, rivers, the great earth, and all conditioned worlds clearly appear; even up to the unconditioned, it is also like this. From the World-Honoured One's entrustment down to the present day, there is not the slightest difference. To whom else would it be entrusted? Therefore an ancestral teacher said: 'The mind is originally the mind; the original mind has no dharma. Dharmas each have the original mind; it is neither mind nor original dharma.' This is the model of the entrustment on Vulture Peak. Sthaviras, understand it thoroughly! Do not spend your time in vain. The king's kindness is difficult to repay; the Buddhas' kindness is difficult to repay; the kindness of parents and teachers is difficult to repay; the kindness of donators in the ten directions is difficult to repay. Moreover, that such an orderly arrangement is established and the Buddha-Dharma flourishes—were it not for the power of the king's kindness, how could it be like this? If you wish to repay this kindness, you must clearly penetrate the eye of the Way and enter the nature-ocean of prajñā; only then will you attain it. You have stood long; take care."

At the ninth assembly, the Master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "I receive [the saying] of a former worthy: 'Person is empty and dharmas are also empty; the two characteristics are originally the same.' What is 'the two characteristics are originally the same'?" The Master said, "Mountains, rivers, and the great earth." The student said, "I do not understand; I beg the Master's skillful means." The Master said, "Where is there a place that is not skillful means?" Another monk asked, "I receive [the teaching] from the scriptures saying: 'Because the mind is pure, the Dharma-realm is pure.' What is the pure mind?" The Master said, "The kalaviṅka and the jivīñjīvaka birds." The student asked, "Are the mind and the Dharma-realm one or two?" The Master said, "Are you asking yourself, or is someone else asking?" The Master also said, "The Great Way is vast and clear; how could past and present be equal? Without name and without form—is it dharma? Is it cultivation? Because the Dharma-realm is boundless, the mind is also without limit. There is no matter that is not displayed; there are no words that are not revealed. Understanding like this is called prajñā. Right before you, the ultimate principle is identical to the boundary of reality; all mountains, rivers, the great earth, myriad phenomena, walls, tiles, and rubble—none have the slightest deficiency. Nothing is the matter; you have stood long; take care."

At the tenth assembly, the Master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "I receive the Master's words: 'The nine heavens hold up the jade seal; the seven Buddhas portend the former mind.' What is the seal?" The Master said, "It does not expose the inscription." "What is the mind?" The Master said, "Your name is Ansi." He also said, "The nature-ocean of the Dharma-realm is like a box and its lid, like a hook and its chain, like gold and the colour of gold. Every position is equal, without the slightest disparity, not mixing with one another, neither one nor different, neither identical nor distinct. If you return to the real ground, each and every dharma reaches the bottom. It is not that coming up here and asking 'how and what' is right, while when not asking it is wrong; nor is it that sitting on the long bench it exists, while when not sitting it does not exist. Take the spoken teachings of the old worthies everywhere present in the world: they are like the sands of the Ganges; every single fascicle of the Tathāgata's great canon speaks of the Buddha-principle, every single line speaks of the Buddha-mind. Why can you not understand it? If you completely entangle yourself in spoken teachings and conceptual understanding of sense-consciousness, even if you, sthaviras, pass through dust-mote kalpas, you still will not be able to penetrate. This is called topsy-turvy views and the livelihood of the conscious mind; there is no strength to be gained in it at all. This is simply because what is under your foot is not clear. If you investigate to the end the source of the Buddhas' Dharma, the great canon like the sands of the river will appear all at once before you, not lacking the slightest hair, not having the slightest hair in excess. The Buddhas are constantly appearing in the world, constantly expounding the Dharma to deliver people, never pausing. Even the chattering of apes, the singing of birds, and the vegetation and groves constantly help you sthaviras trigger your faculties; there has never been a moment when it was not for you sthaviras. That there is such a wonder is truly a pity [if missed]! Sthaviras, all of you investigate it together to let the Dharma long abide in the world, increase the lifespan of humans and devas, and bring peace and ease to the king. Nothing is the matter; you have stood long; take care."

At the eleventh assembly, the Master ascended the hall and brought up an ancient's saying: "'I have a single word, in heaven and among humans; if people do not understand, there are green waters and verdant mountains.' Now, what is the principle of this single word? The words of the ancients must be clearly understood before it will do. If you use words to name words, you will never have an understanding of it. Only by investigating to the end the root and base of all dharmas will you begin to understand the single word. It is not that pondering and understanding a single word or half a sentence is called the single word. If you understand that 'the path of words is cut off, and the place of mental activity is extinguished,' only then will you reach the realm of the ancients. Nor is it that closing your eyes, concealing your pupils, and gazing blindly into nothingness is called cutting off the path of words. Do not misunderstand! The Buddha-Dharma is not this kind of principle. Do you want to understand? Even if it were spoken for dust-mote kalpas, not half a sentence has ever arrived; even if you sthaviras pass through dust-mote kalpas without speaking, it has never lacked half a sentence. You must understand it thoroughly before it will do. If you deliberate over names and words like this, you will vainly labour mental power, and it will be completely useless. I bear witness together with you sthaviras; beginners and latecomers must quickly investigate it. You have stood long; take care."

At the twelfth assembly, the Master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "'The skull always interferes with the world; the nostrils touch the house style.' What is 'the skull always interferes with the world'?" The Master said, "Still waiting for an answer to the words." The student asked, "What is 'the nostrils touch the house style'?" The Master said, "Bring it up again from time to time." Another monk asked, "One person holds a torch and brings an end to his own life; one person embraces ice and lies dead on the road. Of these two persons, which one discerns the Way?" The Master said, "The one who does not leave anything behind." The student said, "I do not understand; I beg the Master to point it out." The Master said, "Your name is Jingxin." The student asked, "I wonder if there is anyone who bears witness?" The Master said, "There is." The student asked, "What person bears witness?" The Master said, "Jingxin bears witness." Another monk asked, "How was it before Niutou met the Fourth Patriarch?" The Master said, "Extraordinary surroundings and spiritual traces—all who beheld them envied him." The monk also asked, "How about after meeting him?" The Master said, "What did I just say to you?" Another monk asked, "I receive [the saying] of an ancient who said: 'Beating emptiness makes a rumbling sound; the stone man and wooden man answer in unison. In the sixth month, snow falls thick and fast: this is the Tathāgata's great, complete awakening.' What is beating emptiness?" The Master said, "A Kunlun slave wearing iron breeches: struck with one blow of the stick, he takes one step." The student said, "If so, then the stone man and wooden man answer in unison." The Master said, "Do you still hear it?" He also said, "The dharma-gates of the Buddhas are constantly like this. For example, the thousands of waves and myriad billows of the great ocean have never temporarily stayed, have never temporarily existed, and have never temporarily been non-existent. Boundlessly, their radiance is free and unhindered. Gathering the three periods at the tip of a single hair, perfecting past and present in a single thought—you must understand thoroughly and clearly before it will do. It is not that asking a phrase, memorizing a turning word, cleverly fabricating principles, or matching wind, clouds, water, and moon in pairs of four, six, and eight counts as the Buddha-Dharma. Do not deceive yourselves, sthaviras; in the end it is useless. If you understand thoroughly, truly there is nothing to conceal: no kṣetra where it is not displayed, no dust mote where it does not appear. Directly, the status of an ordinary person is equal to the Buddhas, without needing the slightest bit of energy. Understand it all at once! Nothing is the matter; you have stood long; take care." In the fourth year of Kaibao, xinwei, the west peak of Huading suddenly collapsed, its sound shaking the entire mountain. The Master said, "I will not be here long." In the sixth month of the following year, a great star fell upon the summit of the peak, and the trees of the forest turned white. The Master then manifested illness at Lianhua Peak; questioning and interviews continued as usual. On the twenty-eighth day, he assembled the multitude to bid farewell, sat cross-legged, and passed away. His age was eighty-two, his monastic age sixty-five.

25.9

Chan Master Huiming of Bao'en Temple in Hangzhou was surnamed Jiang. Having gone forth from home in his youth, he was thoroughly trained in the three trainings and aspired to explore the profound purport. He then traveled south through the Min and Yue regions, visiting various Chan assemblies without connecting with his original mind. Later, he arrived in Linchuan and had an audience with Chan Master Jinghui; master and disciple harmonized in the Way. Soon he returned to Mount Damei by the Yin River to reside in a hermitage. At that time, although students of Chan were flourishing within the territory of Wuyue, they placed Xuansha's orthodox lineage outside the Pale. The Master wished to rectify and guide them. One day, two traveling Chan monks arrived. The Master asked them, "Where have you come from, sthaviras?" They replied, "The capital." The Master said, "For you sthaviras to leave the capital and come to this mountain means that the capital is lacking you sthaviras, and this mountain has an excess of you sthaviras. If there is an excess, then there are phenomena outside the mind; if there is a lack, then the phenomena of the mind are not all-pervasive. If you can state the principle, you may stay; if you do not understand, you must leave." The two Chan monks were unable to answer. A newly arrived monk asked, "Who is the master of Damei?" The Master said, "Where have you departed from today, ācārya?" The monk had no reply. The Master soon moved to Mount Tiantai and built a hermitage at Baisha. At that time, there was Sthavira Pengyan, who was broadly learned and had a powerful memory; he came to visit the Master to debate the tradition of the school. The Master said, "Many words are far from the Way. Now I have a matter to ask you about: as for the past sages and former masters, were there any who were not enlightened?" Pengyan said, "If they were sages and former masters, how could they not have been enlightened?" The Master said, "When one person sends forth the real and returns to the source, the empty space of the ten directions all completely disintegrates. Now Mount Tiantai stands lofty and erect; how can it disintegrate?" Pengyan was at a loss. From then on, those of other schools and broad learning who came were all convinced. During the Qianyou era of the Han, King Zhongyi of Wuyue invited him into the royal palace to inquire about the Dharma and appointed him to reside at Zichong Cloister. The Master extensively expounded how the purports of Master Zongyi of Xuansha and Fayan of Dizang were the utmost pinnacle. The king therefore ordered Cuiyan Lingcan and other Chan masters, as well as eminent gentlemen of the capital, to determine the winner. Chan Master Tianlong asked, "All Buddhas and their Buddha-dharmas emerge from this sūtra. I wonder: where does this sūtra emerge from?" The Master said, "What did you say?" Just as Tianlong was about to ask again, the Master said, "It has passed!" Elder Ziyan asked, "What is the samādhi manifested before us?" The Master said, "Do you still hear?" He replied, "I do not suffer from deafness." The Master said, "Truly, you do suffer from deafness." The Master cited Xuefeng's stupa inscription and asked an elderly master, "'That which exists from conditions begins and ends, becoming and decaying; that which does not exist from conditions endures through kalpas, eternally solid.' Setting aside solid and decaying for a moment, where is Xuefeng right now?" (Fayan said as an alternative, "Right now, is it becoming or decaying?") None of the assembly could reply. Even if someone replied, they could not withstand his interrogation. At that time, all the talents submitted. The king was greatly pleased, had the Master reside there, and conferred the title Chan Master Yuantong Puzhao. The Master ascended the hall and addressed the assembly, "Do you all understand yet? Do not say that speech and silence, movement and stillness, are entirely Buddha-work—that is fine, but do not misunderstand!" A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Ancestral Master coming from the West?" The Master said, "Do you still see the incense terrace?" The monk said, "I do not understand; I beg the Master's instruction." The Master said, "You do not even recognize the incense terrace." He asked, "Leaving aside the mechanism directly before us, what is the meaning of coming from the West?" The Master said, "Why do you not ask?" The monk said, "In that case, I understand it." The Master said, "That too is wasted effort." A monk asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha-dharma?" The Master said, "'The fundamental light-auspice of the Buddha Candradīpa was like this.'" A monk asked, "What is the student's self?" The Master said, "What is your intention in deliberately presenting this question?" A monk asked, "What is the meaning of coming from the West?" The Master said, "A hundred and eight thousand leagues of true trudging; straight away coming from the West, it does not reach the East." A monk asked, "What is the second moon?" The Master said, "Squeezing the eyes to look at flowers, there are several blossoms; seeing the radiant tree, there are several branches."

25.10

Great Master Zhiyi, Xuanfa of Luohan in Zhangzhou. The Master ascended the hall and said, "In the entire world of the ten directions, there is not even a single speck of dust of a phenomenon to serve as your seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing. Do you still believe this? Although it is so, you still must awaken before it is realized; do not take it lightly. Do you not see it said: 'One who merely understands the self and does not awaken to what is directly before them possesses only a single eye'? Do you understand yet?" A monk asked, "When not a speck of dust is established, why do good and bad appear before us?" The Master said, "Remember it clearly and go ask someone else in another place." A monk asked, "When the great assembly gathers like clouds, who is the one who attains it?" The Master said, "Was it ever lost?" A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "You are." An itinerant monk asked, "What is the house style of Baoshou?" The Master said, "You are entirely free to look." The monk said, "In that case, the great assembly has something to rely on." The Master said, "What about you?" The monk said, "In the end I would not dare deceive the great assembly." The Master said, "Why do you despise it as little?" The Master asked a monk, "Where was your tonsure master?" The monk said, "At Foji." The Master said, "Where is the Buddha?" The monk said, "Where is he not?" The Master raised his fist and said, "What is this?" The monk said, "The upādhyāya should take it back." The Master said, "I release the ācārya from seven blows of the staff." The Master asked a monk, "Where were you this summer?" The monk said, "With Sthavira Wuyan." The Master said, "Did you inquire after him?" The monk said, "I did inquire after him." The Master said, "Being wordless (wuyan), how could you inquire?" The monk said, "If one attains wordlessness, where can one not inquire?" The Master shouted at him and said, "Just like asking an elder brother!" The Master was eating pastries with Elder Yanduan. Duan said, "Hundreds of types and thousands of forms, their substance is non-dual." The Master said, "What is the non-dual substance?" Duan picked up a pastry. The Master said, "Just these hundreds of types and thousands of forms." Duan said, "That too is the upādhyāya's view." The Master said, "You too are like Master Luo chanting a style of combing hair." When the Master was about to manifest nirvāṇa, he addressed the assembly, "This evening the four great elements are not harmonious. Clouds soar, birds fly, the wind stirs, and dust rises in turmoil. Is there anyone who can cure it? If you can cure it, we will never know each other for eternal kalpas. If you cannot cure it, you will constantly see me at all times." Having spoken, he announced his quiescence.

25.11

Chan Master Daoqin of Zhangyi on Mount Zhong in Jinling was a native of Taiyuan. He first resided at Qixian on Mount Lu. The Master ascended the hall and said, "Is the Way far off? Touch a matter and it is true. Is the sage far off? Embody it and it is spiritual. I constantly show you: why do you not sit beneath your robes and bowl and investigate it straight away? Why must you come up here seeking something? Since you have come up, I have no alternative but to cite a few skillful means of the ancient worthies and shake off a few tortoise hairs and rabbit horns so that they drop away. Do you sthaviras wish to grasp the essential? You had best investigate it in the monks' hall, under the triple gate, or in the dormitory cells. Do you have any understanding yet? If you have an understanding, try to state it for me to verify for you, sthaviras." A monk asked, "What is the environment of Qixian?" The Master said, "What environment does Qixian have?" A monk asked, "When the ancients raised the mallet or held up the whisk, did that correspond to the matter in the tradition of the school?" The Master said, "The ancients have already spoken." A monk asked, "This student has newly entered the monastery; I beg the upādhyāya for instruction." The Master said, "One finger points to heaven, one finger points to earth." The ruler of the Jiangnan state invited the Master to reside at the Zhangyi Bodhimaṇḍa. He addressed the assembly, "What are you all doing standing over here? Kalyāṇamitras are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges; they constantly accompany you, never parting from you whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Just sit steadily on the long bench, and the kalyāṇamitras of the ten directions will naturally come to pay respects. Why do you, sthaviras, not believe it, creating so many difficulties and ease? Seeing people of nowadays helpless, the ancient sage lamented and said, 'Alas, people's emotional entanglement has lasted long! Facing the true with their mouths, they are unaware.' This is lamenting that all of you look yet do not know. Tell me: what do you look at yet do not know? Why do you not reflect upon the skillful means of the ancients? It is only because your faith is insufficient that it has come to this. Sthaviras, if you merely fix your mind within the Buddha-dharma, there is none who will not attain it. Be free of concerns and embody the Way!" A monk asked, "What is the meaning of coming from the West?" The Master said, "Neither east nor west." A monk asked, "How is it when a single lamp can dispel a hundred years of darkness in a room?" The Master said, "Do not tell lies." A monk asked, "Does the Buddha-dharma undergo change?" The Master said, "You are, sthavira." A monk asked, "The great assembly gathers like clouds; we invite the Master to promote the宗旨." The Master said, "It has been a long time." A monk asked, "What is the profound purport?" The Master said, "What purport does the profound have?"

25.12

Chan Master Kuangyi of Bao'en in Jinling was a native of Mingzhou. He first resided at Ciyun in Runzhou. The ruler of the Jiangnan state invited him to reside at the upper monastery and conferred the title Chan Master Ningmi. One day he ascended the hall, and the assembly gathered. The Master looked around at the great assembly and said, "If you practice in accordance with it, there will be no encumbrance. Do you still believe this? It is like the sun blazing brightly; do not deliberate further. Deliberation cannot reach it. Even if your deliberation could reach it, it is called delimited wisdom. Do you not see what a former master said: 'When a person has no mind, they harmonize with the Way; when the Way has no mind, it harmonizes with the person. When person and the Way harmonize, this is called a person free of concerns.' Moreover, from what does ordinary arise, and from what does sage arise? If you have not understood this, it is only because you are covered by deluded sentiments and cannot proceed. When deluded, there are obstructions, making opposites and dualities of diverse kinds. If you suddenly awaken, there is also nothing to be attained. For example, Yajñadatta took the shadow for his head; is that not carrying a head while looking for a head? Yet at the very time of delusion, the head was not lost, and when arriving at awakening, it is not gained. Why is that? When people are deluded, they call it a loss; when people are awakened, they call it a gain. Gain and loss lie with people; what do they have to do with movement and stillness?" A monk asked, "All Buddhas set forth the Dharma to moisten all faculties universally; when the upādhyāya sets forth the Dharma, who gets to hear it?" The Master said, "Only you do not hear it." A monk asked, "What is the phrase of Bao'en?" The Master said, "Can one say it is not?" A monk asked, "In the twelve hours of the day, where deliberation does not reach, how should one practice?" The Master said, "Where are you right now?" A monk asked, "How does one proclaim the Ancestral Master's coming from the West?" The Master said, "Not going against what is requested." A monk asked, "What is the single phrase?" The Master said, "How could my answering compare to your raising it?" A monk asked, "The Buddha appeared in the world for the causes and conditions of one great matter; I wonder: what about the upādhyāya's appearance in the world?" The Master said, "Just right." The monk said, "In that case, the great assembly has something to rely on." The Master said, "Do not misunderstand!"

25.13

Guiding Master Wensui of Baoci Monastery in Jinling was a native of Hangzhou. His family name was Lu. While still an infant in his parents' arms, his family moved to Xuancheng. Barely coming of age, he stood out for his love of learning. Thereupon he paid respects to the monastic registrar of Chizhou, tonsured his hair, and received the monastic precepts. At age sixteen, he set out to travel, studying both Chan and doctrinal teachings. He once made a thorough investigation of the ten fascicles of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, distinguishing with precision and breadth the true from the false, as well as the origins and developments of conditioned arising. He then made sectional divisions, composed an interlinear commentary, and entwined the phrases together. When his undertaking was complete, he had an audience with Chan Master Jinghui and recounted his accomplishment, [which] deeply accorded with the sutra's meaning. Jinghui asked, "Does not the Śūraṅgama Sūtra have the doctrine of the eight returns?" The master said, "It does." Jinghui said, "To what does brightness return?" The master said, "Brightness returns to the solar disk." Jinghui said, "To what does the sun return?" The master was bewildered and had no reply. Jinghui admonished him and instructed him to burn his commentary. From then on, the master took his words to heart, requested instruction, and only then began to forget his intellectual knowledge. He first dwelled at Zhiguan in Jizhou. In the second year of the Qiande era, the ruler of the Southern Tang invited him to dwell at Changqing, and subsequently at Qingliang and then the great monastery of Baoci, granting him the title "Great Guiding Master Leiyin Juehai" (Thunderous Sound Ocean of Awakening). He was treated with courtesy unlike others. The master took the high seat and said to the assembly: "Beings of heavenly and human realms all partake of this power of grace. Its authority pervades the three realms, and its virtue covers the four modes of birth. If one partakes of the numinous light, all is called wondrous meaning. The Buddhas of the ten directions ever revere it upon their crowns. Who among you would dare to judge right and wrong? When it comes to this place, it is called opening the gate of skillful means. Establishing teachings in accord with faculties just brings forth this and that, flowing out boundlessly. If you can rely upon it and practice accordingly, what would be amiss? Therefore my late teacher Qingliang said: 'The Buddha is just a person of no affairs.' And now, even seeking a person of no affairs is impossible to find." A monk asked, "The Buddha-dharma of Chongshou was entrusted to Zhiguan; to whom is the Buddha-dharma of Zhiguan entrusted?" The master said, "Try to cite the Buddha-dharma of Chongshou and let me see." [The monk] asked, "Is there also Buddha-dharma on mountain summits and precipitous cliffs?" The master said, "What do you call mountain summits and precipitous cliffs?" [The monk] asked, "What is the Way?" The master said, "Deluded thoughts and topsy-turvy views." The master said to the assembly: "In my whole life, this old monk has understood nothing at all. Day after day is just ordinary; though I dwell here, I accord with conditions and let things take their course. Today, all of you sthaviras are no different from the origin." A monk asked, "What is the matter that has no difference?" The master said, "A thousand distinctions and ten thousand differences." The monk asked again. The master said, "Stop, stop! There is no need to speak. Just understand the thousand distinctions and ten thousand differences." [The monk] asked, "What is the upādhyāya's house style?" The master said, "The wooden door leaves of the abbot's quarters." [The monk] asked, "What is the signless monastery?" The master said, "The shrines of the Fourth and Fifth Lords." [The monk] asked, "What is the hair-severing sword?" The master said, "A noodle roller." [The monk] asked, "What is the one straight road?" The master said, "Far and near." [The monk] said, "What happens when one goes straight along like that?" The master said, "Bah, foolish man! This is a dangerous road." The master asked a monk, "Where have you come from?" [The monk] said, "I come from Mount Cao in Fuzhou." The master said, "How many stages did it take to arrive here?" [The monk] said, "Seven stages." The master said, "You have walked past so many mountains, forests, streams, and gullies—what is your own self?" [The monk] said, "All of it is." The master said, "Sentient beings are topsy-turvy, taking things to be their selves." [The monk] said, "What is the student's own self?" The master said, "All of it is." The master also said: "You sthaviras have each spent winter and summer here at Zhiguan. Has anyone awakened to their own self? Zhiguan will give you confirmation so that your true vision will not be deluded by wicked Māras." [A monk] asked, "What is the student's own self?" The master said, "A fine monk; your eyes are very clear."

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景德傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese