景德傳燈錄 9.16

9.16

Chan Master Tong of He'an Monastery in Guangzhou: He underwent training at Shuanglin Monastery in Wuzhou. From his youth he spoke little, and the people of his time called him "Speechless Tong." While he was paying homage to the Buddha, a Chan practitioner asked, "What is it that the lecturer is paying homage to?" The master said, "It is the Buddha." The Chan practitioner pointed to the statue and said, "What thing is this?" The master had no reply. When night came, he arranged his robes and deportment, paid homage, and asked the Chan practitioner, "Regarding your question today, I do not yet know what the intention was." The Chan practitioner said, "How many summer retreats have you had, lecturer?" The master said, "Ten retreats." The Chan practitioner said, "Have you ever left home?" The master became even more bewildered. The Chan practitioner said, "If you do not understand, what use are a hundred retreats?" The Chan practitioner then told the master to join him in visiting Mazu. When they arrived in Jiangxi, Mazu had already entered nirvāṇa. He then visited Baizhang, and his doubts were suddenly resolved. Someone asked, "Is the master a Chan master?" The master said, "This poor monk has never studied Chan." After a long pause, the master called the person. The person answered, "Yes?" The master pointed to a palm tree. (The person had no reply.)