景德傳燈錄 7
English (machine translation) 7
- Language
- English
7.1
Forty-five persons of the second generation under Chan Master Huairang (Dharma heirs of Mazu):
Chan Master Zongyin of Mount Sanjiao in Tanzhou
Chan Master Baoyun of Mount Luzu in Chizhou
Chan Master Changxing of Letan in Hongzhou
Chan Master Zhizang of Xitang in Qianzhou
Chan Master Huaiyun of Zhangjing Temple in the Capital
Chan Master Mingzhe of Boyan in Dingzhou
Chan Master Dayi of Ehu in Xinzhou
Chan Master Zizai of Mount Funiu
Chan Master Baoji of Mount Panshan in Youzhou
Chan Master Taiyu of Mount Furong in Biling
Chan Master Baoche of Mount Magu in Puzhou
Chan Master Qi'an of Yanguan in Hangzhou
Chan Master Lingmo of Mount Wuxie in Wuzhou
Chan Master Fachang of Mount Damei in Mingzhou
Chan Master Weikuan of Dianshan in the Capital
Chan Master Ruhui of Hunan
Chan Master Wudeng of Ezhou
Chan Master Zhichang of Guizong Temple on Mount Lu (the eighteen above are recorded with dialogues)
Chan Master Qinghe of Mount Zhujing in Shaozhou
Chan Master Weijian of Mount Ziyin
Chan Master Hongyou of Mount Feng
Chan Master Shenwan of Mount Lian
Chan Master Daoyuan of Mount Jueshan
Chan Master Weiran of Yutai
Chan Master Tangji of Mount Huishan in Chizhou
Chan Master Baoji of Xinsi in Jingzhou
Chan Master Fazang of Hezhong Prefecture
Chan Master Liangjin of Cibei Temple in Hannan
Chan Master Chong of Jingzhao Prefecture
Chan Master Zhiwuzhou of Nanyue
Chan Master Faxuan of Baihu
Chan Master Weizhi of Jinku
Chan Master Changche of Boyan in Taizhou
Chan Master Hui of Qianyuan
Chan Master Daoyan of Qizhou
Chan Master Changjian of Xiangzhou
Chan Master Baozhen of Jingnan
Chan Master Jingzong of Yunshui
Chan Master Lingtuan of Yongtai Temple in Jingzhou
Chan Master Yuanchang of Mount Longya in Tanzhou
Chan Master Daofang of Shuangling in Hongzhou
Chan Master Xiuguang of Mount Luofu
Chan Master Dingqing of Mount Xianshan
Chan Master Weixian of Dongquan in Yuezhou
Chan Master Puman of Guangming (the twenty-seven above are without records of encounter dialogues and are not recorded)
7.2
Dharma Heirs of the Second Generation under Chan Master Huairang
7.3
Chan Master Zongyin of Mount Sanjiao in Tanzhou. A monk asked: 'What is the Three Jewels?' The Master said: 'Rice, wheat, and beans.' The monk said: 'I do not understand.' The Master said: 'The great assembly joyfully receives and upholds them.' The Master ascended the hall and said: 'If we discuss this matter, blinking an eyebrow has already missed it.' Magu then asked: 'Not asking about blinking an eyebrow, what is this matter?' The Master said: 'It is missed.' Magu thereupon overturned the meditation bed. The Master struck him. Magu had nothing to say. (Changqing substituted: 'Silent.')
7.4
Chan Master Baoyun of Mount Luzu in Chizhou. [A monk] asked: 'Who is the teacher of all Buddhas?' The Master said: 'The one with a jeweled crown on his head is not.' The monk said: 'Who is it, then?' The Master said: 'He has no jeweled crown on his head.' Dongshan came to interview him; after bowing, he stood in attendance for a short while and went out, but then came in again. The Master said: 'Just so, just so; this is why it is like this.' Dongshan said: 'There are plenty of people who do not agree.' The Master said: 'Why should I take your mouth's eloquence?' Dongshan then served in attendance for several months. A monk asked: 'What is speaking without speaking?' The Master said: 'Where is your mouth?' The monk said: 'I have no mouth.' The Master said: 'With what do you eat rice?' The monk had no reply. (Dongshan substituted: 'He is not hungry; what rice does he eat?') Whenever the Master usually saw a monk coming, he would face the wall. Nanquan heard of this and said: 'I usually tell monks to comprehend it before the Buddha came into the world, yet I cannot even find half a person [who understands]. If he goes on like that, [he will have to wait until] the year of the donkey!' (Xuanjue said: 'Is this words of singing along together, or words of disagreement?' Baofu asked Changqing: 'Just where was Luzu's articulation that drew Nanquan's words?' Changqing said: 'Stepping back oneself and deferring to others—not one in ten thousand can do it.' Luoshan said: 'If Old Teacher Chen had seen it at that time, he would have given him five hits with the fire poker across his back. Why so? Because he knows how to release, but not how to gather in.' Xuansha said: 'If I had seen it then, I too would have given him five hits with the fire poker.' Yunju Xi said: 'Both Luoshan and Xuansha spoke like that; are they of the same view, or is there another principle? If you can discern it, I allow that you, sthavira, have a place to enter the Buddhadharma.' Xuanjue said: 'Tell me, did Xuansha's five hits with the fire poker strike him or not?')
7.5
Chan Master Changxing of Letan in Hongzhou. A monk asked: 'Who is a guest under the gate of Caoxi?' The Master said: 'A swallow coming from the south.' The monk said: 'I do not understand.' The Master said: 'Nurturing its plumage to await the autumn wind.' A monk asked: 'What is the ultimate matter of the ancestral school?' The Master said: 'Autumn rain, grasses drooping.' Also, Nanquan personally came, saw the Master facing the wall, and tapped the Master on the back. He asked: 'Who are you?' [The Master] said: 'Puyuan.' The Master said: 'How is it?' [Nanquan] said: 'Just ordinary.' The Master said: 'Why make so much trouble?'
7.6
Chan Master Xitang Zhizang of Qianzhou was a native of Qianhua. His family name was Liao. At age eight he followed a master, and at twenty-five he took full ordination. A physiognomist, seeing his extraordinary appearance, said to him: “Your skeletal structure and spirit are uncommon; you shall serve as an assistant to the Dharma King.” The master thereupon went to Mount Foji to visit and pay homage to Daji (Mazu). Together with Chan Master Baizhang Hai, he became an indoor disciple, and both received the seal of transmission. One day Daji sent the master to Chang'an to deliver a letter to National Teacher Zhong. The National Teacher asked, “What Dharma does your teacher expound?” The master walked from the east to the west and stood there. The National Teacher asked, “Is it only this, or is there anything else?” The master then went back over to the east side and stood there. The National Teacher said, “This is Master Ma’s. What about you, worthy one?” The master said, “I already presented it to you, Upādhyāya, long ago.” Soon afterward, he also delivered a letter to Mount Jingshan to Chan Master Guoyi (the conversation is in the chapter on Guoyi). It happened that the regional commander Lu Sigong invited Daji to reside in the prefecture to respond to the times with a grand teaching. When the master returned to the commandery, he received the transmission of the patched robe from Daji, who ordered students to draw near to him. A monk asked Mazu, “I ask the Upādhyāya to leave behind the four propositions and extinguish the hundred negations, and directly point out to me the meaning of coming from the west.” The Patriarch said, “I have no mood for it today. Go ask Zhizang.” The monk then came and asked the master. The master said, “Why did you not ask the Upādhyāya?” The monk said, “The Upādhyāya told me to come and ask you, Sthavira.” The master rubbed his head with his hand and said, “I have a headache today. Go ask senior brother Hai.” The monk then went to ask Hai (Upādhyāya Baizhang). Hai said, “Having come to this point, I don't understand either.” The monk then related this to Mazu. The Patriarch said, “Zang’s head is white; Hai’s head is black.” One day Mazu asked the master, “Why do you not read the scriptures?” The master said, “Are scriptures anything different?” The Patriarch said, “Although that may be so, later on you will still need it to teach people.” The master said, “Zhizang is ill and thinks only of nurturing himself; how would I dare speak of teaching people?” The Patriarch said, “In your later years, you will certainly flourish in the world.” After Mazu passed away, in the seventh year of the Zhenyuan era of the Tang, the assembly invited the master to open the hall. Minister Li Ao once asked a monk, “What teachings does Great Master Ma have?” The monk said, “The Great Master either says, ‘This mind itself is Buddha,’ or he says, ‘Neither mind nor Buddha.’” Li said, “They all cross beyond this side.” Li then asked the master, “What teachings does Great Master Ma have?” The master called out, “Li Ao!” Ao answered, “Yes?” The master said, “The drums and horns have stirred.” Chan Master Zhikong said to the master, “The sun has risen too early.” The master said, “It is just the right time.” When the master resided at Xitang, later a layman asked, “Are there a heaven and a hell?” The master said, “There are.” The layman asked, “Are there the treasures of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha?” The master said, “There are.” To many further questions, he answered in every case, “There are.” The layman asked, “When the Upādhyāya speaks like this, could it be mistaken?” The master said, “Have you ever visited a venerable elder?” The layman said, “I once visited the Upādhyāya of Jingshan.” The master said, “What did Jingshan say to you?” The layman said, “He said that completely everything is non-existent.” The master said, “Do you have a wife?” The layman said, “I do.” The master said, “Does the Upādhyāya of Jingshan have a wife?” The layman said, “He does not.” The master said, “For the Upādhyāya of Jingshan to say 'non-existent' is acceptable.” The layman bowed in gratitude and departed. The master passed into extinction on the eighth day of the fourth month of the ninth year of the Yuanhe era, at the age of eighty, with fifty-five monastic years. Emperor Xianzong bestowed the posthumous title Chan Master Daxuanjiao, and his stūpa was named Yuanhe Zhengzhen. In the reign of Emperor Muzong, he was additionally posthumously titled Chan Master Dajue.
7.7
Chan Master Huaiyun of Zhangjing Temple in Jingzhao Prefecture was a native of Tong'an in Quanzhou. His family name was Xie. He received the mind-seal from Daji. At first he resided at Boyan in Dingzhou, and next he stayed at Mount Zhongtiao. At the beginning of the Yuanhe era of the Tang, Emperor Xianzong summoned him to reside at the imperial temple, and students of the profound rushed to gather there. The master ascended the hall and instructed the assembly, saying: “The ultimate principle transcends speech; people of the world do not understand it. They forcefully practice other matters, taking them to be spiritual achievements, not knowing that self-nature is fundamentally not an object of dust, but is a wondrous, great dharma-gate of liberation. All perception and awareness are undefiled and unimpeded; such radiance has never ceased. From past eons to the present, it is indeed without alteration, just like the solar disc shining near and far: though it reaches all colors, it does not blend with anything. The marvelous brightness of the spiritual candle does not rely on forging and tempering. Because people do not realize this, they grasp at material forms, which is just like rubbing one's eyes and delusionally producing flowers in the sky—pointlessly exhausting oneself and passing through eons in vain. If one can turn the light around to shine inward, there is no second person; every movement and action does not fall short of the true mark.” A monk asked, “When mind and dharmas are both forgotten, where does one point and return?” The master said, “When the man of Ying has no stain, it is in vain to swing the axe.” The monk said, “I request from the master words that do not return.” The master said, “That is a phrase without return.” (Later, someone brought this up to Dongshan. Dongshan said, “Speaking of it is very easy; it is rare to meet an adept.”) Upādhyāya Baizhang sent a monk to attend on him. As the master ascended the hall, the monk spread his sitting mat and bowed, then stood up, took one of the master's slippers, dusted it off with his sleeve, and placed it upside down. The master said, “This old monk is at fault.” Someone asked, “The mind-ground dharma-gate transmitted by the patriarchs—is it the true-suchness mind, the delusional-thought mind, or the neither-true-nor-delusional mind? Or is it a mind established separately outside the teachings of the three vehicles?” The master said, “Do you see the empty space before your eyes?” The person said, “I truly know it is constantly before my eyes, but people themselves do not see it.” The master said, “Do not mistake an image.” The person said, “What should one do, Upādhyāya?” The master brushed the empty space three times with his hand and said, “How is that?” The person said, “You will understand later on.” A monk came, circled the master three times, shook his staff, and stood there. The master said, “Right, right.” (Changqing said in his place: “Where are the Upādhyāya's body and mind of the Buddha Dharma?”) The monk then went to Nanquan, also circled Nanquan three times, shook his staff, and stood there. Nanquan said, “Wrong, wrong. This is driven by the power of the wind; from beginning to end, it forms and decays.” The monk said, “Zhangjing said ‘Right’; why does the Upādhyāya say ‘Wrong’?” Nanquan said, “Zhangjing was right; it is you who are wrong.” (Changqing said in his place: “What kind of mental activity is this of the Upādhyāya?” Yunju Xi said: “Zhangjing did not necessarily say ‘Right,’ and Nanquan did not necessarily say ‘Wrong.’” He also said: “If that monk had simply walked out holding his staff at the beginning, that would have been just right.”) The master had a junior disciple who returned from traveling. The master asked him, “How many years have you been away from here?” The disciple said, “I have been away from your presence, Upādhyāya, for nearly eight years.” The master said, “What have you accomplished?” The junior disciple drew a circular figure on the ground. The master said, “Is it only this, or is there anything else?” The junior disciple then drew a line through the circular figure and bowed. A monk asked, “Within the body of the four elements and five aggregates, which one is the original Buddha-nature?” The master then called the monk by name. The monk answered, “Yes?” The master remained silent for a good while and said, “You have no Buddha-nature.” On the twenty-second day of the twelfth month of the thirteenth year of the Yuanhe era of the Tang, he showed extinction. A stūpa was built at the Ba River. By imperial order, he was posthumously titled Chan Master Dajue, and his stūpa was called Dabaoxiang.
7.8
Chan Master Mingzhe of Boyan in Dingzhou once saw Upādhyāya Yaoshan reading a scripture. He remarked to him, “Upādhyāya, you had better not deceive people.” Yaoshan set aside the scripture and said, “What time of day is it?” The master said, “It is right at noon.” Yaoshan said, “There is still literary embellishment remaining.” The master said, “I don't even have nothingness.” Yaoshan said, “Elder brother, you are exceedingly clever!” The master said, “I am just like this; what about the Upādhyāya?” Yaoshan said, “Hobbling and limping along, with a hundred uglinesses and a thousand clumsinesses, I just pass the time like this.”
7.9
Chan Master Dayi of Ehu in Xinzhou was a native of Xujiang in Quzhou. His family name was Xu. Li Ao once asked the master, “What does the Great Compassionate One use a thousand hands and eyes for?” The master said, “What does the present Emperor use you for, Minister?” A monk requested to build a stūpa. Minister Li asked him, “In the teachings, it is not permitted to carry a corpse past a stūpa; how about that?” There was no reply. The monk then came and asked the master. The master said, “He has attained great icchantika.” Emperor Xianzong of the Tang once summoned him to enter the palace to engage in debate in the Linde Hall. A Dharma master asked, “What are the four noble truths?” The master said, “His Sage Majesty is the one emperor; where are the other three emperors?” He also asked, “There is no dhyāna in the desire realm; dhyāna resides in the form realm. On what basis is dhyāna established in this land?” The master said, “The Dharma master only knows that there is no dhyāna in the desire realm, but does not know that there is no desire in the realm of dhyāna.” The Dharma master said, “What is dhyāna?” The master pointed his finger at empty space. The Dharma master had no reply. The Emperor said, “The Dharma master has expounded endless scriptures and treatises, yet he cannot handle even this single point!” The master then asked the eminent worthies, “In walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, what after all is the Way?” Someone replied, “Knowing is the Way.” The master said, “It cannot be known through wisdom, nor can it be cognized through consciousness; how can knowing be the Way?” Someone replied, “Non-discrimination is the Way.” The master said, “Skillfully distinguishing all dharma-characteristics while remaining unmoved in the primary meaning—how can non-discrimination be the Way?” Someone replied, “The four dhyānas and eight samāpattis are the Way.” The master said, “The Buddha's body is unconditioned and does not fall into various numbers; how could it reside in the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis?” All fell silent. The master further cited: “Emperor Shunzong asked Chan Master Shili, ‘How can the sentient beings of the great earth see their nature and become Buddhas?’ Shili said, ‘Buddha-nature is like the moon in the water: it can be seen, but cannot be grasped.’” He then said to the Emperor, “Buddha-nature is not seen with the seeing mind; how can the moon in the water be grabbed?” The Emperor then asked, “What is Buddha-nature?” The master replied, “It is not apart from what Your Majesty has asked.” The Emperor silently accorded with the true principle and respected him all the more. The master passed into extinction on the seventh day of the first month of the thirteenth year of the Yuanhe era, at the age of seventy-four. By imperial order, he was posthumously titled Chan Master Huijue, and his stūpa was called Jianxing.
7.10
Chan Master Zizai of Mount Funiu in Yique was a native of Wuxing. His family name was Li. At first, he took full ordination under Chan Master Guoyi of Jingshan. Later, at Nankang, he met Daji and illuminated the mind-ground. He subsequently delivered a letter for Daji to National Teacher Zhong. The National Teacher asked, “What does Great Master Ma use to instruct his assembly?” He replied, “This mind itself is Buddha.” The National Teacher said, “What kind of talk is that?” After a good while, he asked again, “Besides this, what other teachings does he have?” The master said, “Neither mind nor Buddha; or he says, ‘It is not mind, it is not Buddha, it is not a thing.’” The National Teacher said, “That is slightly better.” The master said, “Great Master Ma is just like this; I wonder what it is like here with the Upādhyāya?” The National Teacher said, “Three dots like flowing water; curved like a sickle for reaping grain.” Later, the master lived in seclusion on Mount Funiu. One day he said to the assembly: “‘This mind itself is Buddha’ is a phrase seeking illness when there is no illness. ‘Neither mind nor Buddha’ is a phrase applying medicine to treat illness.” A monk asked, “What is a phrase of being completely free and unconstrained?” The master said, “At the foot of Mount Funiu, it has been passed down from ancient times to the present.” Later, the master showed extinction at Kaiyuan Temple in Suizhou, at the age of eighty-one.
7.11
Chan Master Baoji of Panshan in Youzhou. A monk asked, "What is the Way?" The Master said, "Get out." The monk said, "I have not yet grasped your meaning." The Master said, "Go away." The Master took the high seat in the hall and instructed the assembly, saying: "If the mind is without affairs, the myriad phenomena do not arise. If the intellect cuts off mystic machinations, how can a fine speck of dust stand? The Way is originally without substance; because of the Way, names are established. The Way is originally nameless; because of names, titles are acquired. If one speaks of 'mind itself is Buddha,' nowadays people have not yet entered its subtle profundity. If one speaks of 'neither mind nor Buddha,' it is still the ultimate rule of pointing to the tracks. The one road of the transcendental is not transmitted by the thousand sages; students wear out their bodies like monkeys grasping at shadows. Now, within the Great Way there is no center; who is there to come first or follow after? The vast sky has no boundaries; what use is measuring it? Since space is like this, what more is there to say of the Way? The moon of the mind is solitary and round; its light swallows the myriad phenomena. The light does not shine on objects, nor do objects exist. When light and objects are both extinguished, what thing is it again? Virtuous Chan monks! It is like hurling a sword through empty space; do not discuss whether it reaches or does not reach. This is the wheel of space leaving no trace, and the sword's blade suffering no nick. If you can be like this, thought after thought without knowing, the whole mind is itself Buddha, and the whole Buddha is itself the person. When person and Buddha are not different, only then is it the Way. Virtuous Chan monks! If one is truly able to study the Way, it is like the earth holding up a mountain, not knowing the mountain's solitary steepness; like a stone enclosing jade, not knowing the jade's lack of blemish. If one is like this, it is called leaving home. Therefore the Guide said: 'Phenomena are originally unhindered by each other; so too it is with the three periods of time. Even a person of non-action and no affairs is still entangled in the difficulty of golden chains.' Therefore, the numinous source shines alone; the Way cuts off the unborn. Great wisdom is not illumination; true emptiness leaves no trace. Suchness, ordinary beings, and sages are all words of a dream; Buddha and nirvāṇa are both superfluous talk. Virtuous Chan monks! You must simply look for yourselves; no one can take your place. The three realms are without phenomena; where would you seek the mind? The four elements are originally empty; on what could a Buddha abide? The pivot of the mechanism does not move; silent, it is without words. Meeting face to face, there is nothing else. Take care." When the Master was about to pass away, he said to the assembly, "Is there someone who can paint my portrait?" The assembly all presented portraits they had drawn to the Master, and the Master beat them all. His disciple Puhua came forward and said, "I can paint it." The Master said, "Why do you not present it to this old monk?" Puhua then turned a somersault and went out. The Master said, "In the future, this fellow will receive people like a lunatic!" After the Master passed away, he was granted the posthumous title Great Master Ningji ("Consolidated Serenity") and his stūpa was named Zhenji ("True Limit").
7.12
Chan Master Taiyu of Mount Furong in Piling was a native of Jinling. His family name was Fan. At the age of twelve, he paid respects to Chan Master Zhong, the sixth generation of Mount Niutou, and had his head shaved. At twenty-three, he received full ordination at Anguo Monastery in the capital. Later, he met Daji and was secretly transmitted the ancestral intention. In the thirteenth year of the Yuanhe era of the Tang, he stayed at Mount Furong in Yixing, Piling. One day, while serving food to Upāsaka Pang, as the upāsaka was receiving the food, the Master said, "Giving rise to mind when receiving alms was long ago rebuked by Jingming. Casting aside this single mechanism, does the upāsaka still accept it?" The upāsaka said, "Back then, was Subhūti not an expert?" The Master said, "That has nothing to do with another's business." The upāsaka said, "The food reached my lips, only to be snatched away by someone else!" The Master then set down the food. The upāsaka said, "Not worth a single phrase." The upāsaka further asked the Master, "Where Master Ma truly worked to help people—did he pass that on to my master?" The Master said, "I have not yet seen him; how could I know where he truly worked?" The upāsaka said, "Just this seeing and knowing also cannot be found." The Master said, "The upāsaka should not speak only from one side." The upāsaka said, "If I speak only from one side, the Master again loses the principle; if I speak from two sides or three sides, can the Master still open his mouth?" The Master said, "Directly being unable to open one's mouth—this may indeed be called real." The upāsaka clapped his hands and went out. During the Baoli era, he returned to Qiyun and entered extinction. His age was eighty; his monastic age was fifty-eight. In the second year of the Dahe era, he was posthumously granted the title Chan Master Dabao ("Great Treasure") and his stūpa was named Lengqie ("Laṅkā").
7.13
Chan Master Baoche of Mount Magu in Puzhou. One day, while walking along with Mazu, he asked, "What is great nirvāṇa?" The Patriarch said, "Urgent." The Master said, "What is urgent?" The Patriarch said, "Look at the water." While the Master and Danxia were roaming the mountains, seeing a fish in the water, the Master pointed at it with his finger. Danxia said, "Natural, natural!" The next day, the Master again asked Danxia, "What was the meaning yesterday?" Danxia threw down his body and made a lying-down posture. The Master said, "Heavens!" Again, walking with Danxia to Mount Magu, the Master said, "I am going to live here." Danxia said, "Living here is well and good, but is there that one or not?" The Master said, "Take care." A monk asked, "I have no doubts about the twelvefold division of teachings; what is the meaning of the ancestral teacher coming from the west?" The Master then stood up, circled his body once with his staff, raised one foot, and said, "Do you understand?" The monk had no reply. The Master struck him. A monk asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master remained silent. (That monk later asked Shishuang, "What was this meaning?" Shishuang said, "The host was so earnest that he burdened the ācārya to drag through mud and wade through water.") Danyuan asked, "Is the Eleven-Faced Avalokiteśvara an ordinary being or a sage?" The Master said, "A sage." Danyuan then slapped the Master once. The Master said, "I knew you had not reached this realm."
7.14
Chan Master Qi'an of Zhenguo Haichang Cloister in Yanguan, Hangzhou, was a native of Haimen commandery. His family name was Li. When he was born, a divine light illuminated the room. An extraordinary monk also said to him, "He who erects the banner of the invincible and causes the sun of the Buddha to shine back—is that not you?" He thereupon followed Chan Master Yuncong of his native commandery to have his head shaved and receive full ordination. Later, hearing that Daji was converting beings at Mount Gonggong, he shook his mendicant's staff and went there. The Master had an extraordinary appearance. Daji saw him once, regarded him highly as an exceptional vessel, and summoned him to enter his chamber to secretly show him the correct Dharma. A monk asked, "What is one's own fundamental Vairocana Buddha?" The Master said, "Bring me that copper bottle." The monk then brought the pure bottle. The Master said, "Take it back to its original place and put it down." After the monk had placed the bottle back in its original place, he came back and pressed the Master with the former question. The Master said, "The ancient Buddha has also long since passed." A lecturing monk came to study. The Master asked, "What enterprise does the lecture master harbor?" He replied, "I lecture on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra." The Master said, "How many kinds of dharmadhātu are there?" He replied, "Expounded broadly, they are layer upon layer without end; expounded briefly, there are four kinds of dharmadhātu." The Master held up his whisk and said, "Which kind of dharmadhātu is this?" The lecture master hesitated and slowly thought of an answer. The Master said, "Knowing through thinking and understanding through deliberation—this is the ghost's livelihood, a solitary lamp under the sun; as expected, its light is lost." (Baofu, hearing this, said, "If he had made a prostration, he would have tasted the upādhyāya's staff." Heshan said in his place, "Do not blame me for not troubling the upādhyāya." Fayan clapped his hands three times in his place.) A monk asked Damei, "What is the meaning of coming from the west?" Damei said, "Coming from the west has no meaning." The Master heard this and said, "One coffin, two corpses." (Xuansha said, "Yanguan is an expert.") The Master called his attendant and said, "Bring the rhinoceros fan." The attendant said, "It is broken." The Master said, "The fan is broken; give me back the rhinoceros!" The attendant had no reply. (Touzi said in his place, "I do not refuse to bring it out, but I fear its head and horns are not complete." Zifu in his place drew a circular figure and wrote the character 'ox' in its center. Shishuang said in his place, "If I give it back to the upādhyāya, then there will be none." Baofu said, "The upādhyāya is advanced in years; it would be better to invite someone else.") One day, the Master said to the assembly, "Space as the drum, Mount Sumeru as the drumstick—who can strike it?" The assembly had no reply. (Someone related this to Nanquan. Nanquan said, "Old Master Wang does not strike this broken drum." Fayan said alternatively, "Old Master Wang does not strike.") Chan Master Fakong arrived and asked about various meanings in the sūtras. The Master answered each of them, and then said, "Since the Chan Master arrived, I, a poor monk, have not yet been able to be the host." Fakong said, "I invite the upādhyāya to act as host further." The Master said, "It is late today. Return to your quarters and rest; come back tomorrow." Fakong went down. The next morning, the Master instructed a novice to invite Chan Master Fakong. When Fakong arrived, the Master looked at the novice and said, "Bah! This novice cannot handle affairs. I told you to invite Chan Master Fakong, but instead you brought a hall-keeping servant!" Fakong was speechless. Director of the Cloister Faxin came to call. The Master asked, "Who are you?" He replied, "Faxin." The Master said, "I do not know you." Xin was speechless. Later, without illness, the Master passed away while sitting peacefully. He was posthumously granted the title Chan Master Wukong ("Awakened to Emptiness").
7.15
Chan Master Lingmo of Mount Wuxie in Wuzhou was a native of Piling. His family name was Xuan. First he visited Master Ma of Yuzhang; Ma received him, whereupon he shaved his head and took full ordination. Later he visited Upādhyāya Qian of Shitou. He made a prior pact with himself, saying, "If a single word tallies, I will stay; if not, I will leave at once." Shitou knew he was a Dharma vessel and at once provided instruction. The Master did not grasp its meaning, took his leave, and went to the gate. Shitou called to him, saying, "Ācārya!" The Master looked back. Shitou said, "From birth to old age, it is just this fellow; do not seek anything else." At these words the Master was greatly enlightened, and he snapped his walking staff in two and took up residence there. (Dongshan said, "At that time, had it not been for the former master of Wuxie, it would have been exceedingly hard to undertake. Even though it was like this, he was still on the road." Changqing said, "Perilous!" Xuanjue said, "What was the place where he was on the road?" A monk said, "Because he grasped it on the path of Shitou's three inches of tongue, he was on the road." Xuanjue said, "Did he grasp himself, or did he grasp the three inches of tongue? If it was himself, why did it become the three inches? If it was the three inches, why did he become enlightened? Well, tell me: what was Dongshan's meaning? Do not speak wildly; examine it carefully.") In the early Zhenyuan era of the Tang, he entered Mount Tiantai and lived at the Baisha Bodhimanda; later he dwelt at Wuxie. A monk asked, "What thing is greater than heaven and earth?" The Master said, "No one recognizes it." The monk said, "Can it still be carved and polished?" The Master said, "Try setting your hand to it and see." A monk asked, "What is the matter of beginning and end within this gate?" The Master said, "Tell me, how long has that which is before your eyes been completed?" The monk said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Here I do not have what you are asking about." The monk said, "Is there no way for the upādhyāya to receive people?" The Master said, "Wait until you seek to be received, and I will receive you." The monk said, "Then I invite the upādhyāya to receive me." The Master said, "What are you lacking?" A monk asked, "How can one attain no-mind?" The Master said, "Though mountains topple and seas overturn, remain serenely tranquil; though the earth quakes, sleep peacefully—why pay attention to it?" On the twenty-third day of the third month in the thirteenth year of the Yuanhe era, the Master bathed, burned incense, sat upright, and announced to the assembly: "The Dharma body is completely tranquil, yet manifests going and coming. The thousand sages share the same source; the myriad spirits return to the one. Now that my bubble is bursting, why falsely give rise to grief? Do not wear out your minds; you must maintain right mindfulness. If you follow this command, you truly repay my kindness. If you obstinately disobey my words, you are not my children." At the time, a monk asked, "Where is the upādhyāya going?" The Master said, "Nowhere to go." The monk said, "Why can I not see it?" The Master said, "It is not visible to the eye." (Dongshan said, "An expert!") When he finished speaking, he quietly passed away. His age was seventy-two; his monastic age was forty-one.
7.16
Chan Master Fachang of Mount Damei in Mingzhou was a native of Xiangyang. His family name was Zheng. In his youth, he followed a teacher at Yuquan Monastery in Jingzhou. First he visited Daji and asked, "What is the Buddha?" Daji said, "Mind itself is the Buddha." The Master was at once greatly enlightened. During the Zhenyuan era of the Tang, he lived in Mount Tiantai, seventy li south of Yuyao, where Mei Zizhen formerly lived in seclusion. At that time, a monk from Yanguan's assembly entered the mountain to gather wood for a staff, lost his way, and reached the hermitage. He asked, "How long has the upādhyāya been in this mountain?" The Master said, "I only see the four mountains green and then yellow." He also asked, "Which way does the road out of the mountain go?" The Master said, "Follow the stream." The monk returned and told this to Yanguan. Yanguan said, "When I was in Jiangxi, I once saw a monk, and since then have heard no news of him. Could it be this monk?" He then dispatched a monk to invite the Master to come forth. The Master composed a verse, saying:
7.17
A broken, withered tree leaning in the cold woods,
Though meeting many a spring, changes not its heart.
Even the woodcutter passes by without a glance;
How could the man of Ying take the pains to seek it out?
7.18
When Daji heard that the Master was dwelling in the mountains, he sent a monk to go and ask him: "What did the Venerable obtain upon seeing Master Ma that made you take up residence in this mountain?"
The Master said: "Master Ma told me: 'Mind itself is Buddha.' So I came here to dwell."
The monk said: "Master Ma's Buddha-Dharma has been different recently."
The Master said: "How is it different?"
The monk said: "Recently he also says: 'Neither mind nor Buddha.'"
The Master said: "That old fellow confuses and deranges people, with no end in sight! Let him have his 'neither mind nor Buddha'; I only hold to 'mind itself is Buddha.'"
The monk returned and related this to Mazu. Mazu said: "Assembly, the plum (mei) has ripened!" (A monk asked Heshan: "Damei spoke like this; what was his meaning?" Heshan said: "A true lion's cub!")
From then on, students gathered in increasing numbers, and the Master's way grew ever more renowned.
The Master ascended the hall and addressed the assembly, saying: "All of you should each turn your mind back to reach the fundamental, and not pursue the branch-tips. Merely attain the fundamental, and the branch-tips will come on their own. If you wish to know the fundamental, simply comprehend your own mind. Because this mind is originally the root of all mundane and supramundane dharmas, when the mind arises, diverse dharmas arise; when the mind ceases, diverse dharmas cease. The mind does not attach to any good or evil, yet the myriad dharmas that arise are originally such as they are."
A monk asked: "What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?"
The Master said: "Cattail flowers, willow fluff, bamboo needles, hempen thread."
Jiashan and Dingshan were once walking together. In their conversation, Dingshan said: "If there is no Buddha within birth and death, then it is not birth and death." Jiashan said: "If there is a Buddha within birth and death, then one is not deluded by birth and death." The two ascended the mountain to pay homage. Jiashan then brought this forward and asked the Master: "We do not know which of the two's views is closer?"
The Master said: "One is close, one is distant."
Jiashan said: "Which one is close?"
The Master said: "Go for now; come back tomorrow."
The next day Jiashan came up again and asked the Master. The Master said: "The close one does not ask; the one who asks is not close." (After Jiashan became abbot, he himself said: "Back then I lost one eye.")
Suddenly one day the Master said to his disciples: "What comes cannot be suppressed; what goes cannot be pursued." Amid their composure, they heard the sound of a flying squirrel. The Master said: "Just this thing, not another thing. All of you, protect and uphold it well. I am now passing away." Having spoken, he displayed cessation. His age was eighty-eight; his monastic age was sixty-nine. Chan Master Zhijue Yanshou praised him in verse:
7.19
When the Master first attained the Way,
Mind itself was Buddha.
In his final instruction to his disciples,
This thing was not another thing.
Fathoming the source of the myriad dharmas,
Penetrating the bones of a thousand sages;
True transformation does not shift—
What obstacle to appearing and disappearing?
7.20
Chan Master Weikuan of Xingshan Monastery in Jingzhao was a native of Xin'an in Quzhou. His secular surname was Zhu. At age thirteen, seeing animals being slaughtered, he felt deep anguish, could not bear to eat meat, and sought to leave the household. At first he studied the Vinaya and practiced calming and insight. Later he visited Daji and attained the mind essential. In the sixth year of the Zhenyuan era of the Tang, he began teaching and transforming in the Wu and Yue regions. In the eighth year, at Poyang Mountain, a spirit asked to receive the eight precepts. In the thirteenth year, he resided at Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song.
A monk asked: "What is the Way?"
The Master said: "A fine mountain!"
The monk said: "A student asks about the Way; why does the Master speak of a fine mountain?"
The Master said: "You only know the fine mountain; when have you ever reached the Way?"
[A monk] asked: "Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?"
The Master said: "It does."
The monk said: "Does the Venerable have it or not?"
The Master said: "I do not."
The monk said: "All sentient beings have Buddha-nature; why alone does the Venerable not have it?"
The Master said: "I am not all sentient beings."
The monk said: "Since you are not sentient beings, are you a Buddha?"
The Master said: "I am not a Buddha."
The monk said: "Ultimately, what thing are you?"
The Master said: "I am also not a thing."
The monk said: "Can it be seen or thought of?"
The Master said: "Thinking does not reach it; discussion cannot grasp it. Therefore it is called inconceivable."
In the fourth year of the Yuanhe era, Emperor Xianzong summoned him to the imperial palace. Bai Juyi once visited the Master and asked: "Since you are called a Chan master, why do you explain the Dharma?"
The Master said: "Unexcelled bodhi, when applied to the body, is the Vinaya; when spoken from the mouth, is the Dharma; when practiced in the mind, is Chan. Its practical functions are three, but their ultimate import is one. It is just like the Changjiang, the Yellow River, the Huai, and the Han, which take names according to their location. Though the names are not one, the nature of the water is without duality. The Vinaya is itself the Dharma, and the Dharma is not separate from Chan. How can you vainly give rise to distinctions within them?"
[Bai Juyi] also asked: "Since there are no distinctions, how should one cultivate the mind?"
The Master said: "The mind originally has no damage or defect; why should it require repair? Regardless of defilement or purity, do not give rise to any thoughts at all."
[Bai Juyi] also asked: "Defilement should not be thought of, but is having no thought of purity acceptable?"
The Master said: "Just as with a person's eye, not a single object may dwell in it. Even though gold dust is a precious treasure, in the eye it is likewise an affliction."
[Bai Juyi] also asked: "If there is no cultivation and no thought, how is that different from ordinary people?"
The Master said: "Ordinary people have ignorance; the two vehicles have attachment. Freedom from these two afflictions is called true cultivation. One who truly cultivates must not be diligent and must not be forgetful: diligence borders on attachment, and forgetfulness falls into ignorance. This is what is called the mind essential."
A monk asked: "Where is the Way?"
The Master said: "Just before your eyes."
[The monk] said: "Why do I not see it?"
The Master said: "Because you have a self, you do not see it."
[The monk] said: "Because I have a self, I do not see it; does the Venerable see it?"
The Master said: "With you and with me, mutually one does not see it."
[The monk] said: "With neither me nor you, is it still seen?"
The Master said: "With neither you nor me, who seeks to see it?"
On the last day of the second month in the twelfth year of the Yuanhe era, he ascended the hall, finished preaching the Dharma, and passed away. His age was sixty-three; his monastic age was thirty-nine. He was buried on the western plateau of Baling. An imperial decree bestowed the posthumous title 'Chan Master Dache' and the stupa was called 'Zhengzhen of Yuanhe'."
7.21
Chan Master Ruhui of Dongsi in Hunan was a native of Qujiang in Shixing. At first he visited Jingshan, and later he called upon Daji. His students were so numerous that the beds and platforms in the monks' hall collapsed beneath them; at the time he was known as 'Bed-Collapsing Hui'. After Daji passed away, the Master was often distressed that the disciples incessantly recited and recollected the talk of 'mind itself is Buddha', thinking: 'Where does the Buddha dwell that one speaks of "mind itself"? The mind is like a painter, yet one speaks of "mind is Buddha"?' He then instructed the assembly, saying: 'Mind is not Buddha; wisdom is not the Way. The sword is already far away, yet you are now notching the boat.' At the time, Dongsi was called a 'den of Chan.'
Chief Minister Lord Cui Qun came out to serve as surveillance commissioner of Hunan. Seeing the Master, he asked: 'By what did the Master attain [the Way]?'
The Master said: 'Attained by seeing the nature.'
The Master was just then suffering from an eye ailment. The lord mocked him, saying: 'Since you speak of seeing the nature, what about your eyes?'
The Master said: 'Seeing the nature is not the eyes; what harm is an eye ailment?'
The lord bowed his head and apologized. (Fayan said as an alternative: 'It is the minister's eyes.')
The Master asked Nanquan: 'From where have you recently come?'
[Nanquan] said: 'Jiangxi.'
The Master said: 'Have you brought Master Ma's true [likeness]?'
Nanquan said: 'Just this is it.'
The Master said: 'What about what is behind your back?'
There was no response. (Changqing substituted: 'Too much like not knowing.' Baofu said: 'Almost didn't make it to the Venerable's place here.' Yunju Xi said: 'These two venerable ones entirely support what is behind. But as for Nanquan resting, was he supporting what was in front or supporting what was behind?')
Chief Minister Cui entered the monastery and saw birds dropping dung on the Buddha's head. He then asked the Master: 'Do birds have Buddha-nature or not?'
The Master said: 'They do.'
Cui said: 'Why do they drop dung on the Buddha's head?'
The Master said: 'Why don't they drop it on the head of a hawk?'
Yangshan came to visit. The Master said: 'We have already met; there is no need to come up further.'
Yangshan said: 'Meeting like this—is it not perhaps improper?'
The Master returned to the abbot's quarters and shut the door. Yangshan returned and related this to Guishan. Guishan said: 'What kind of state of mind does Jizi have?'
Yangshan said: 'If not like this, how could I have known him?'
Someone again asked the Master: 'I intend to request the Venerable to inaugurate the hall; may I?'
The Master said: 'Wait until you take something to wrap Shitou and make him warm, then it will be fine.'
The person had no words. (Yaoshan substituted: 'Shitou is warm.')
On the nineteenth day of the eighth month in the guimao year, the third year of the Changqing era of the Tang, he entered quiescence. His age was eighty. An imperial decree bestowed the posthumous title 'Great Master Chuanming', and the stupa was called 'Yongji'.
7.22
Chan Master Wudeng of Ezhou was a native of Weishi. His secular surname was Li. He first left the household at Mount Gonggong, paid homage to Master Ma, and secretly received the mind essential. Later he resided at Tumen in Suizhou. He once paid a visit to the prefect, Attendant Wang. As the Master was retiring and about to leave the gate, Wang called after him: "Venerable!" The Master looked back, and Wang struck a pillar three times. The Master made a circular figure with his hand, brushed it three times, and then walked away.
The Master later resided at Daji Monastery in Wuchang. One day, during the evening assembly, the Master saw everyone coming up before him to inquire about his well-being. He then said to the assembly: "Assembly, where has that sound just now gone?"
A monk held up a finger.
The Master said: "Take care!"
When that monk came up for consultation the following morning, the Master turned around, lay facing the wall, and feigned groaning, saying: "For the past two or three days this old monk has not been very well. Does the Great Virtuous One have any medicine at hand to give this old monk a little?"
The monk patted a clean water-vase with his hand and said: "Where did this clean vase come from?"
The Master said: "This belongs to this old monk. Where is the Great Virtuous One's?"
The monk said: "It also belongs to the Venerable; it also belongs to me."
In the tenth month of the fourth year of the Dahe era of the Tang, he displayed cessation. His age was eighty-two.
7.23
Chan Master Zhichang of Guizong Temple on Mount Lu went up to the hall and said: "The ancient virtuous ones of the past were not without knowledge and understanding. Those high-minded individuals were unlike the common run of people. Nowadays, [practitioners] cannot establish themselves independently and pass the time in vain. Good people, do not use your minds wrongly! No one can take your place, nor is there any place for you to apply your mind. Do not seek after others. Hitherto, you have merely relied on others' understandings. Your spoken words are all stuck, and your light does not penetrate through, simply because there are things in front of your eyes." A monk asked, "What is the profound principle?" The Master said, "No one can understand it." The monk asked, "What about one who directs [the mind] toward it?" The Master said, "If there is directing toward it, it is contradicted." The monk asked, "What about one who does not direct [the mind] toward it?" The Master said, "Who seeks the profound principle?" He also said, "Go! There is no place for you to apply your mind." The monk asked, "Is there really no gate of skillful means to allow a student to enter?" The Master said, "The wondrous power of Avalokiteśvara's wisdom can save from the suffering of the world." The monk asked, "What is the wondrous power of Avalokiteśvara's wisdom?" The Master tapped the lid of the cauldron three times and said, "Do you hear it or not?" The monk said, "I hear it." The Master said, "Why do I not hear it?" The monk was speechless. The Master drove him away with his staff. The Master once traveled together with Nanquan. Later, suddenly one day when they were parting, while boiling tea Nanquan asked, "Hitherto, elder brother, our discussions and sayings have been known to one another. Hereafter, if someone asks what the ultimate affair is like, what then?" The Master said, "This single piece of ground is an excellent place to erect a hut." Nanquan said, "Setting erecting a hut aside for a moment, what is the ultimate affair like?" The Master thereupon knocked over the tea-boiler and stood up. Nanquan said, "Elder brother has drunk his tea, but Puyuan has not yet drunk his tea." The Master said, "Speaking such words, you cannot even digest a drop of water!" A monk asked, "This matter is vast and distant; how should one apply the mind?" The Master said, "Cowhide stretches over the exposed pillar; the exposed pillar chirps and cries out. Ordinary ears hear nothing; the holy say it and laugh ha-ha!" Because a lay official came, the Master held up the two ribbons of his hat and said, "Do you understand?" The lay official said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Do not blame this old monk; due to a head cold I do not remove my hat." While the Master was in the vegetable garden picking greens, he drew a circular figure surrounding one plant. He told the assembly, "Under no circumstances may you touch this one." The assembly did not dare touch it. A short while later the Master returned and saw the greens were still there. He thereupon drove the monks away with his staff, saying, "In this whole band of fellows, there is not one who possesses wisdom!" The Master asked a newly arrived monk, "Where do you come from?" The monk said, "I come from Fengxiang." The Master said, "Did you bring that one along or not?" The monk said, "I brought it along." The Master said, "Where is it?" The monk held it up with his hands above his crown and presented it. The Master immediately raised his hands as if catching it and threw it behind his back. The monk was speechless. The Master said, "This wild fox cub!" While the Master was weeding grass, a lecturer monk came to visit. Suddenly a snake passed by, and the Master cut it in two with his hoe. The monk said, "I have long heard of Guizong, but it turns out you are a coarse-acting śramaṇa!" The Master said, "Lecturer, return to the tea hall and go drink tea." Yunyan came to visit. The Master made the gesture of drawing a bow. Yunyan paused for a long while and made the gesture of drawing a sword. The Master said, "You have arrived too late!" A monk was taking his leave. The Master called him to come forward: "I will speak the Buddha Dharma for you." The monk came forward. The Master said, "All of you have your own affairs. If you return here at another time, no one will recognize you. The weather is cold; take good care on the road as you go." The Master went up to the hall and said, "Today I wish to speak of Chan; let all good people come forward." The assembly came forward. The Master said, "Listen to Avalokiteśvara's practice, well responding in all places." A monk asked, "What is Avalokiteśvara's practice?" The Master then snapped his fingers and said, "Do you all hear it or not?" The monk said, "I hear it." The Master said, "What is this bunch of fellows seeking here?" He drove them out with his staff, and laughing loudly, returned to the abbot's quarters. A monk asked, "How can a beginner attain an entry point?" The Master tapped the lid of the cauldron three times and said, "Do you hear it or not?" The monk said, "I hear it." The Master said, "Why do I not hear it?" The Master tapped it three times again and asked, "Do you hear it or not?" The monk said, "I do not hear it." The Master said, "Why do I hear it?" The monk was speechless. The Master said, "The wondrous power of Avalokiteśvara's wisdom can save from the suffering of the world." Li Bo, Prefect of Jiangzhou, asked the Master, "What is said in the teachings about Mount Sumeru containing a mustard seed, I, Bo, do not doubt. But as for a mustard seed containing Mount Sumeru, is that not a false tale?" The Master said, "People say that your Excellency has read ten thousand volumes of books; is that so or not?" Li said, "It is so." The Master said, "From the top of your head to your heels, you are merely the size of a coconut. Where are those ten thousand volumes of books kept?" Li could only bow his head. On another day Li asked again, "What aspect of the matter does the teachings of the great canon illuminate?" The Master raised his fist, showed it to him, and said, "Do you understand?" Li said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "This poor scholar does not even recognize a fist!" Li said, "I pray the Master will instruct me." The Master said, "If you meet the right person, transmit it along the way; if you do not meet one, circulate it as worldly truth." Because the Master had double pupils, he rubbed his eyes with medicinal herbs, causing the corners of both eyes to turn red; the world called him "Red-Eyed Guizong." Later he manifested extinction. He was imperial-conferred the posthumous title "Chan Master Zhizhen" (Utmost Truth).
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- 景德傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese