景德傳燈錄 9.4

9.4

Chan Master Xiyun of Huangbo in Hongzhou was a native of Min. In his youth he went forth from household life at Mount Huangbo in his home prefecture. On his forehead a flesh-pearl bulged up; the sound of his words was clear and resonant, and his disposition was calm and untroubled. Later, while traveling in Tiantai, he met a monk. Talking and laughing with him, they were like old acquaintances. Looking closely at him, his gaze shot forth light. As they walked together, they came upon a mountain stream that was flooding violently. They put down their bamboo hats, planted their staffs, and stopped. The monk urged the Master to cross with him. The Master said, "If you want to cross, elder brother, cross by yourself." The monk then hitched up his robe, stepped onto the waves as if walking on flat ground, looked back, and said, "Come across, come across!" The Master said, "Bah, this self-liberating fellow! Had I known earlier, I would have chopped your shins!" The monk sighed and said, "A true vessel of the Mahāyāna Dharma; I cannot match you." Having spoken, he disappeared. Later, the Master traveled to the capital. Being inspired by someone, he went to visit Baizhang. He asked, "How is the heritage transmitted from above pointed out?" Baizhang remained silent for a long while. The Master said, "You must not cause later generations to be cut off!" Baizhang said, "I took you for someone [of caliber]." He then arose and entered the abbot's quarters. The Master followed him in and said, "I have come specially." Baizhang said, "If so, you must not let me down in the future." One day Baizhang asked the Master, "Where have you been?" He said, "I have been picking mushrooms at the foot of Mount Daxiong." Baizhang said, "Did you see the big tiger?" The Master immediately made the sound of a tiger. Baizhang took up an axe and made a chopping gesture. The Master promptly struck Baizhang a slap. Baizhang chuckled and laughed heartily, then returned [to his quarters]. Entering the hall, he addressed the assembly, saying, "At the foot of Mount Daxiong there is a big tiger; all of you had better look out! Today this old man Baizhang was personally bitten!" When the Master was at Nanquan's place, there was a general labor call to pick greens. Nanquan asked, "Where are you going?" He said, "To pick greens." Nanquan said, "What will you pick them with?" The Master held up a knife. Nanquan said, "Let us all go pick greens." One day Nanquan said to the Master, "This old monk happened to compose a cowherding song; I ask the elder to match it." The Master said, "I have my own master." When the Master took leave of Nanquan, Nanquan saw him to the gate, picked up the Master's bamboo hat, and said, "Elder, your stature is extraordinarily large, but the hat is far too small." The Master said, "Even so, the great chiliocosm is entirely inside it." Nanquan said, "What about Old Teacher Wang?" The Master put on his hat and walked away. Later, he resided at Da'an Monastery in Hongzhou, where an ocean-like assembly rushed to gather. Chancellor Pei Xiu, who was governing Wanling, built a great Chan cloister and invited the Master to preach the Dharma. Because the Master deeply loved his former mountain, he also named it Huangbo. He also invited the Master to the prefecture and showed him a treatise containing his own understanding. The Master received it, placed it on his seat, and did not peruse it at all. After a long silence, he said, "Do you understand?" The Chancellor said, "I have not fathomed it." The Master said, "If you could understand it just like this, there would still be some [hope]; but if it is given form in paper and ink, where is our school?" Pei then presented a verse, saying: