景德傳燈錄 4.52

4.52

Chan Master Renjian of Fuxian Temple in the capital of Luoyang, having given up questioning on Mount Song, roamed freely about the outskirts and lanes. People at the time called him Upādhyāya Tengteng. During the Tiance Wansui reign of the Tang, the Empress Dowager [Wu Zetian] summoned him before the palace hall. He looked up at the Empress for a long while and said, 'Do you understand?' The Empress said, 'I do not understand.' The Master said, 'This old monk observes the precept of silence.' Having spoken, he walked out. The next day he presented nineteen short songs. The Empress read and praised them, bestowing generous rewards, but the Master accepted none of them. She also ordered the lyrics to be transcribed and distributed throughout the realm. Their verses all expounded the true principle to warn the world of worldly conventions; only the song 'Liaoyuan Ge' ('Song on Understanding the Source') circulated widely in the world.