景德傳燈錄 9.7

9.7

The Master showed no sign of joy. From then on, the house style of Huangbo flourished south of the Yangtze. One day, he ascended the hall while the great assembly gathered like clouds. He then said: "What are all of you seeking?" Thereupon, driving them away with his staff, he said: "You are all dreg-eating fellows! Travelling on foot like this only invites ridicule from others. Wherever you see eight hundred or a thousand people, you just go there; you must not merely pursue excitement! When this old man was traveling on foot, if I encountered a fellow under the grass roots, I would jab a bodkin from above his head to see if he knew pain or itch; then he might be offered a bag full of rice. If it were always as easy as for you, how could there be today's affair? Since you claim to travel on foot, you must also summon some spirit! Do you know that in all of the Great Tang there are no Chan masters?" At that time, a monk came forward and asked, "In all directions, the venerable elders gather assemblies and convert them; why do you say there are no Chan masters?" The Master said, "I do not say there is no Chan, only that there are no masters. Ācārya, do you not see? Under Great Master Ma there were eighty-eight people who sat in bodhimaṇḍas; those who attained Master Ma's correct Dharma eye were only two or three people. The Upādhyāya of Mount Lu was one of them. Monks must know that there is a heritage from above! For instance, under the Fourth Patriarch, Great Master Niutou Rong spoke horizontally and spoke vertically, yet he still did not know the transcendental pivot. Only with these eyes and brains can one distinguish the heterodox from the orthodox lineage. If you cannot even comprehend your present concerns and only know how to learn phrases, stuffing them into your skin bag and claiming everywhere, 'I understand Chan!'—will this substitute for your birth and death? Despising old seniors, you enter hell like an arrow! As soon as I saw you come in the door, I already recognized you. Do you know? You must urgently apply effort; do not make light of the matter! Wearing a scrap of robe and eating a mouthful of food, you pass a lifetime in vain. Those with clear eyes will laugh at you; in the end, you will all be calculated by common folk. You should look at the distance for yourself: whose business is this? If you understand, then understand immediately; if you do not understand, then disperse!" Someone asked, "What is the meaning of the Western Ancestor's coming?" The Master promptly struck him. The rest of his functional devices were all directed at those of superior faculties; those of medium and lower streams could not fathom his depths. In the Dazhong era of the Tang, he passed away at his home mountain. He was imperially bestowed the posthumous title "Chan Master Duanji" (Limit of Severance) and his stūpa was named Guangye (Vast Endeavor).